As many as 103 active cases and two deaths due to Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or monkey fever have been recorded in Karnataka.
With the total number of cases being around 200, and the cases being concentrated in three districts – Shivamogga, Uttara Kannada, and Chikkamagaluru – a high-level meeting was held in the state on 19 February, Monday to discuss a plan of action.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told news agency ANI,
“We just had a meeting with all the elected representatives and officers to see that we are well prepared and further deaths don’t take place. We should be able to bring it under control.”
What is KFD? KFD is a zoonotic infection that is caused by ticks found on animals, especially primates. The viral disease was first identified in Karnataka’s forest areas in the 1950s and has since caused many waves.
With close contact between humans and animals in the Kyasanur forest areas, the disease peaks every few years.
Is KFD Deadly? It can be. On 8 January, a 19-year-old girl, admitted to the Kasturba Medical College in Karnataka’s Manipal, succumbed to the disease as well, becoming the first person to die due to KFD in 2024.
Following her death, the district administration had stated that the only way to control KFD is surveillance and administering vaccines to the population at risk. But for the past two years, vaccines against KFD have not been available in the region.
What measures are being taken? The Karnataka health department had in January upped the following measures for prevention:
Constant surveillance and extensive test sampling
Tying up with forest and animal husbandry departments to issue advisories
Spreading awareness about the disease
Supplying Diethyl Phenyl Acetamide oil, which is a repellent for ticks, to all households
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