Monkey fever resurfaces in Wayanad, two test positive

Kozhikode, Jan 24: Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or monkey fever has resurfaced in Wayanad after a gap of two years with two persons from Appapara near Thirunelli testing positive for the disease.

The 36-year old tribesman, whose blood sample tests were conducted at the laboratory of Manipal Centre for Virus Research, is under treatment at Mananthavady district hospital. Another person, a 27-year-old youth from nearby Bavali area, has been referred to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

Health department authorities said both the persons had gone to Bairakuppa across the border in Karnataka for labour work and attempts are on to find the source of the epidemic.

"We had stepped up disease preventive measures some time back after the KFD cases were reported in Shivamogga in Karnataka. Efforts are on to bring people in high risk categories, especially those who venture to forest for livelihood, under vaccination cover. But many people are averse to getting vaccinated," district medical officer Dr R Renuka said.

The district emergency operations centre (DEOC) has asked health authorities to take steps to identify the source of the epidemic and ensure surveillance of all those who were present along with the two positive cases at the source point. Health officials said one of the tick samples, which have been collected from the forest have also been tested positive.

The animal husbandry department has been told to distribute insect-repelling ointments to be applied on livestock, which are left to graze in the forest, to prevent them from bringing infected ticks to human habitations.

Wayanad had witnessed KFD cases for four years in a row from 2013 to 2016 and the disease had claimed 11 lives in its largest outbreak in the state in 2015. KFD is transmitted primarily through bites of infected ticks (Heamaphysalis spinigera). The KFD outbreaks coincides with high nymphal activity of Haemaphysalis spinigera ticks--the main vector of the disease. Monkeys get infected through infected tick bites and then they act as amplifying hosts with the virus getting transmitted to other ticks feeding on infected monkeys. Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, mostly a sick or dead monkey.

Monkey fever resurfaces in Wayanad, two test positive

Kozhikode, Jan 24: Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or monkey fever has resurfaced in Wayanad after a gap of two years with two persons from Appapara near Thirunelli testing positive for the disease.

The 36-year old tribesman, whose blood sample tests were conducted at the laboratory of Manipal Centre for Virus Research, is under treatment at Mananthavady district hospital. Another person, a 27-year-old youth from nearby Bavali area, has been referred to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

Health department authorities said both the persons had gone to Bairakuppa across the border in Karnataka for labour work and attempts are on to find the source of the epidemic.

"We had stepped up disease preventive measures some time back after the KFD cases were reported in Shivamogga in Karnataka. Efforts are on to bring people in high risk categories, especially those who venture to forest for livelihood, under vaccination cover. But many people are averse to getting vaccinated," district medical officer Dr R Renuka said.

The district emergency operations centre (DEOC) has asked health authorities to take steps to identify the source of the epidemic and ensure surveillance of all those who were present along with the two positive cases at the source point. Health officials said one of the tick samples, which have been collected from the forest have also been tested positive.

The animal husbandry department has been told to distribute insect-repelling ointments to be applied on livestock, which are left to graze in the forest, to prevent them from bringing infected ticks to human habitations.

Wayanad had witnessed KFD cases for four years in a row from 2013 to 2016 and the disease had claimed 11 lives in its largest outbreak in the state in 2015. KFD is transmitted primarily through bites of infected ticks (Heamaphysalis spinigera). The KFD outbreaks coincides with high nymphal activity of Haemaphysalis spinigera ticks--the main vector of the disease. Monkeys get infected through infected tick bites and then they act as amplifying hosts with the virus getting transmitted to other ticks feeding on infected monkeys. Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, mostly a sick or dead monkey.