New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- The Union health ministry on Wednesday deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to Gujarat and Rajasthan to strengthen the response to the ongoing Chandipura Virus Disease (CHPV) outbreak, which has claimed lives of at least 22 children in Gujarat, this monsoon. The Centre has also stepped up disease surveillance, scientific investigations and testing in the affected districts to better understand and contain the outbreak, the ministry said in a statement. Chandipura virus is an emerging arbovirus transmitted primarily by sandflies and is associated with outbreaks of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES), mainly among children under 15 years. "The deployment comes against the backdrop of sustained and intensified scientific investigations by a nationwide network of premier research institutions.," the ministry said. The multidisciplinary team, comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), will support the two states in outbreak investigation, epidemiological assessment, clinical management, laboratory coordination, vector surveillance and public health measures....