New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- In response to a surge in viral encephalitis cases, the Union health ministry has deployed a multidisciplinary national joint outbreak response team (NJORT) to Gujarat and Rajasthan to assist state authorities in managing the ongoing Chandipura virus disease (CHPV) outbreak, the government said on Wednesday.

State health authorities in Gujarat have reported 35 confirmed positive cases out of 184 suspected patients tested, alongside 22 deaths among children under 15 during the current monsoon season. Rajasthan health authorities and media reports have confirmed three positive Chandipura virus cases from border districts Dungarpur and Sirohi. All three infected children were referred to Gujarat for emergency treatment,...