Karnataka district reports Monkey fever outbreak
The KFD infection, which starts with high fever and body ache, results in haemorrhage, similar to that in dengue.
Bengaluru: An outbreak of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, has been reported in some villages of Shivamogga district following which authorities have taken measures, including vaccination, to combat it, a health official said Thursday.
A team of doctors and paramedics had been deputed to the affected areas and a door-to-door verification was on to identify people affected by KFD, Shivamogga District Surveillance Officer (DSO) Dr B S Shankarappa said.
Allaying fears, he said early diagnosis was the key to control KFD, a tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South Asia, and people with poor immunity level might be more susceptible to it.
Since the disease is caused by a tick, the district authorities were distributing insect repellent. Besides, a vaccination drive was also underway, the DSO said.
The virus spreads through parasitic ticks which latch on to monkeys and is transmitted to human through tick bites. It was first reported in the country from Kyasanur forests in Shivamogga district in 1957 and hence came to be known as KFD.
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