Viral encephalitis leaves 56 dead in India’s Gujarat in a month

Viral encephalitis has caused at least 56 deaths in India’s western state of Gujarat, forcing authorities to step up surveillance for the disease caused by a viral infection often spread by sand flies and ticks.

Viral encephalitis, which can cause high fever and in many cases affect the brain, is common in several parts of India during the monsoon season, but many of the deaths in Gujarat were caused by the Chandipura virus, a relatively new form that is known to affect mostly children under 15.