- Why in news
- On 5 August 2026, the Union Health Ministry deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to Gujarat and Rajasthan for the ongoing Chandipura virus outbreak. Several ICMR and ICAR institutes are also investigating vectors, animal reservoirs and genetic changes.
- What it is
- Chandipura virus (CHPV) is an RNA virus of the Rhabdoviridae family, in the genus Vesiculovirus. It causes fever that can progress to acute encephalitis, mainly in children. It was first isolated in 1965 near Chandipura in Maharashtra, and sandflies are its known vector.
- Response team
- The NJORT has experts from NCDC, ICMR and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. It will review the response and report to the Ministry.
- Vector
- Sandflies are the established vectors. Other arthropods such as mosquitoes, ticks and mites are being examined, and the vector for this outbreak is not yet identified.
- Animal reservoirs
- Blood samples from cattle, buffaloes and goats, plus milk samples, are being tested for the virus.
- Genome sequencing
- Whole-genome sequencing is being done at GBRC, Gandhinagar. Minor variations are found, but their significance is not yet known.
- AES surveillance network
- India has a hospital-based AES surveillance network spanning 15 tertiary care hospitals.
- Virus classification
- Chandipura virus belongs to the family Rhabdoviridae, the same family as the rabies virus.
Don’t confuse with Chandipura virus vs Japanese encephalitis virus: Chandipura is a rhabdovirus spread by sandflies. Japanese encephalitis is a flavivirus spread by Culex mosquitoes. Both can cause acute encephalitis syndrome.
Don’t confuse with IDSP vs NCDC: IDSP is the surveillance programme. NCDC is the national body that coordinates it.
Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.
Why it matters
- The outbreak shows the value of a One Health approach that links human, animal and vector surveillance.
- Quick central support to states strengthens outbreak detection and response.
Problems
- The vector and reservoir are still unconfirmed, and 2024 vector samples all tested negative, which limits control measures.
- There is no specific antiviral or vaccine, and the disease progresses fast in children.
Way forward
- Complete the serosurveys, genome comparison and animal testing, and use the results to guide vector control.
- Strengthen diagnostics, early referral and AES surveillance in high-risk districts.
Put in your answer
One Health approach: The response combines human, animal and vector surveillance across ICMR, ICAR, NCDC and the Animal Husbandry Department.
- 2017Prelims Q31Zika virus transmission by mosquitoes; possibility of sexual transmission
- 2021Prelims Q70Adenovirus and retrovirus genome types; diseases each causes
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Disease outbreak with NJORT and IDSP facts; a lasting health topic, but no matching Prelims kind counts for outbreak events (disaster/environment events only 2 of 327).
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.