❖ Six children in Gujarat's Aravalli district are suspected to have died from the Chandipura virus

. ❖ Chandipura virus, aka Chandipura vesiculovirus (CHPV), is an RNA virus belonging to the Rhabdoviridae family

. ❖ It was first identified in 1965 in Chandipura, a village in Maharashtra.

❖ The virus primarily affects children and has been associated with outbreaks of acute encephalitis in India

.❖ The virus is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected sandflies (genus Phlebotomus)

. ❖ There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for Chandipura virus infection.