Gujarat in grip of Chandipura; toll reaches 15, kids among 29 infected

THE death toll from suspected Chandipura virus went up to 15 in Gujarat with six more children's deaths reported on Thursday and the number of suspected cases reached 29, according to the state health department.

- DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA

Three children died of the suspected virus in Rajkot, two in Ahmedabad, and one in Panchmahal district, health officials said. "Currently, 29 suspected cases of Chandipura have been reported in Gujarat, with 15 children having died from the suspected virus. The Gujarat government sent seven samples to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, and one of them tested positive for Chandipura virus," Health Minister Rishikesh Patel told reporters, adding others reports from the NIV are awaited.