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The Chandipura virus outbreak in Gujarat has claimed 25 lives in about five weeks, but scientists investigating the disease have so far failed to detect the virus in any of the suspected vectors tested.

 

The Gujarat government has confirmed 39 infections among children in the current outbreak, with cases reported across 12 districts of Gujarat and three districts of Rajasthan. Chandipura Vesiculovirus (CHPV) primarily affects children below 15 and can cause Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

 

Thousands of sandflies were screened after the outbreak emerged on June 30, but none tested positive. Investigations were subsequently expanded to mosquitoes and ticks, with those samples also returning negative results.

 

Sandflies are the established vector of CHPV and were linked to an outbreak in Gujarat in 2018. However, researchers also failed to identify an infected vector during the 2024 outbreak, when 28 children died among 78 reported cases.

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The absence of a confirmed vector has raised the possibility that more than one insect could be transmitting the virus. Scientists are examining Aedes aegypti and Culex mosquitoes, along with ticks and mites.

 

The investigation has also expanded to animals that could potentially act as reservoirs. Blood samples from cattle, buffaloes and goats, as well as milk samples, are being tested. Around 70 animal blood samples have been collected so far.

 

Researchers are also examining why cases have appeared in Saurashtra, where sandflies are not as prevalent as in eastern Gujarat.

 

Experts have flagged the need for more extensive and year-round surveillance. They say sampling should not be restricted to periods when outbreaks occur, as the vector may be easier to identify during its transmission season.

 

The Union health ministry has said it is premature to identify the vector responsible for the current outbreak until laboratory investigations are completed.

 

The continuing inability to trace the virus in suspected vectors has left researchers searching for answers about how CHPV is spreading and where it persists between outbreaks.