OverviewThe Union Health Ministry has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team (NJORT) to Gujarat and Rajasthan as Chandipura Virus Disease (CHPV) continues to spread, with Gujarat reporting 35 laboratory-confirmed cases and 22 child deaths this monsoon season. 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), is leading an extensive scientific investigation. Continuous surveillance under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and activation of the NCDC's Public Health Emergency Operations Centre are supporting outbreak control efforts. While sandflies are the known carriers of CHPV, researchers are also examining whether mosquitoes, ticks and mites may contribute to its spread. Health officials have urged caution, stating that no conclusions about the current outbreak's transmission cycle should be drawn until laboratory investigations are complete.