Symptoms
Chandipura encephalitis can affect people of all ages, but children between the ages of 2 and 16 seem to be more susceptible. After exposure to the virus, symptoms typically appear within a matter of days. The disease often progresses rapidly, with initial symptoms including high fever, severe headache, seizures, convulsions, and altered consciousness.
As the condition progresses, patients may experience vomiting, drowsiness, and coma. In severe cases, the disease can progress from initial symptoms to coma and death within 48 hours.
It’s important to note that not all infected individuals develop severe symptoms. Some may have mild or no symptoms at all.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of Chandipura encephalitis can be challenging due to its similarity to other forms of viral encephalitis. Methods used for diagnosis include blood tests to detect antibodies against the virus, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to detect viral RNA, and lumbar puncture to collect CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) and isolate the virus from the blood.
Brain scans such as CT or MRI may be used to rule out other conditions and assess the extent of brain inflammation, but they cannot definitively diagnose Chandipura encephalitis.
Treatment
There is no specific cure for Chandipura encephalitis. Treatment focuses on supporting the patient’s body while it fights the infection, such as ventilation, management of fluid and electrolyte balance, controlling seizures, and prevention of secondary bacterial infections.
Patients with severe cases are typically treated in intensive care units (ICUs).
Outcomes
Chandipura encephalitis can be a severe disease with a high mortality rate, especially in children. In some outbreaks, fatality rates as high as 55-75% have been reported. However, the long-term effects on survivors are not well documented due to the limited number of studies on this disease.
Prevention
There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Chandipura virus infection.
The best prevention is to protect against and control the populations of sandflies. Preventative measures include wearing long-sleeved clothing especially during evening hours when sandflies are most active and applying repellents containing picaridin or DEET to exposed skin. Using bed nets treated with insecticides can also help. People who work, live or spend time outdoors in rural areas must be extra careful and try to limit outdoor activity. It is also important to improve sanitation and eliminate breeding sites for sandflies and implement vector control measures in affected areas.
Travelers to endemic areas should take precautions to avoid insect bites, particularly in rural or forested areas.
By Prav Prathapan, Encephalitis International and reviewed by Dr Priyanka Madaan, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Faridabad, India
FS075V1 Chandipura encephalitis
Page created: July 2024. Page updated: July 2024. Review date: July 2027
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