# Centre sends outbreak response team to Gujarat and Rajasthan over Chandipura virus 2026-08-05T23:12:19+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk The Union health ministry has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to Gujarat and Rajasthan after Chandipura virus disease killed at least 22 children in Gujarat this monsoon. The team draws experts from the National Centre for Disease Control, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and will support outbreak investigation, clinical management, laboratory coordination and vector surveillance. Officials are testing patients with fever and encephalitis symptoms, running community serosurveys, and analysing around 70 animal blood samples from cattle, buffaloes and goats to check whether the virus circulates among domestic animals. Genome sequencing at the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre has found minor genetic variations in the virus, though officials say more study is needed before drawing conclusions. Sandflies are the established vector for Chandipura virus, but the specific vector behind this outbreak has not yet been confirmed. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Deploying a multi-agency team and widening testing represents a substantive response, but officials aware of the matter say key findings, including the vector responsible and the significance of the genetic variations found, remain preliminary. The animal-sampling and sequencing results are described as ongoing work rather than settled conclusions. Identifying the vector responsible is the finding the response team's work turns on next. ## Coverage - www.hindustantimes.com Tags: Chandipura virus, National Centre for Disease Control Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/centre-deploys-response-team-to-gujarat-rajasthan-amid-chandipura-virus-cases/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/centre-deploys-response-team-to-gujarat-rajasthan-amid-chandipura-virus-cases/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.