Gujarat reports 13 new suspected Chandipura virus cases, 5 fatalities

Gujarat on Sunday reported 13 fresh suspected Chandipura virus cases and five fatalities, the state health department said.

With the latest additions, the tally of the confirmed and suspected infections in the state has gone up to 84 so far, while the death toll climbed to 32.

New suspected cases were reported from Ahmedabad (2 infections), Aravalli (2), Banaskantha (2), Surendranagar (1), Gandhinagar (1), Kheda (1), Mehsana (1), Narmada (1), Vadodara (1) and Rajkot (1).

Among five suspected deaths due to Chandipura virus, one each was reported from Mahisagar, Kheda, and Vadodara, and two from Banaskantha, the state health department said in a statement.

The government has initiated several measures to control the viral infection transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies, as per the statement.

Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) on Saturday confirmed nine cases of Chandipura virus from Gujarat.

On Sunday, no new confirmed cases were reported in the