India's Union health ministry has deployed a National Joint Outbreak Response Team to Gujarat and Rajasthan to strengthen the response to an ongoing Chandipura Virus Disease (CHPV) outbreak, which has already claimed the lives of at least 22 children.

The region’s under-five mortality has fallen significantly — from 92 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to nearly 32 in 2024, reflecting sustained progress in child health outcomes, the Union Health Ministry says