Of the eight fatalities in Gujarat due to suspected Chandipura virus so far, a four-year-old girl succumbed to the infection as confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), making it the first such fatality in the state, a health official said.

So far, 14 suspected Chandipura virus infection cases have been reported in Gujarat. Of them, eight patients have died. All their samples were sent to the Pune-based NIV for confirmation, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said.

"The sample of a four-year-old girl from Aravalli's Mota Kanthariya village, who died at the civil hospital at Himatnagar in Sabarkantha district, has tested positive for Chandipura virus. This is the first death due to Chandipura virus infection in the state," Sabarkantha Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) Raj Sutariya said.

The samples of three others from Sabarkantha district that were sent to the NIV have tested negative for the infection. Of them, one patient has died while two others have recovered, he said.

The suspected Chandipura virus infection cases have been reported from Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Kheda, Mehsana and Rajkot districts, minister Patel said. Two patients from Rajasthan and one from Madhya Pradesh have also been treated in the state hospitals, he said.

Health screening of more than 44,000 people has been conducted across 26 residential zones in the affected areas as a precautionary measure, he said.

Chandipura virus causes fever, with symptoms similar to flu, and acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). The pathogen is a member of the Vesiculovirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae. It is transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies.

The 2003-2004 outbreaks in Central India witnessed case fatality rates ranging from 56-75 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat with typical encephalitic symptoms.

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