Shimoga district officials reported Friday that nine people have tested positive for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or Monkey Disease in Thirthahalli during the past two weeks.
According to an IBN news report out of India, after a meeting with health officials, Shimoga Zilla Parishad CEO Sanjay Bijjur told the media that nine of the 89 samples sent to virus testing laboratory in Bangalore tested positive for the virus. He has also ordered staff to vaccinate all villagers in all three Primary health division’s covering Konandur, Hombuja and Rippenpet in the taluks before next week.
Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is caused by Kyasanur forest disease virus (KFDV), a member of the virus family Flaviviridae, the same family that yellow fever and dengue fever belongs.
Although the Karnataka state in India is the endemic focus and place where KFD originally was isolated, a KFD virus variant, Alkhurma virus, was isolated in Saudi Arabia.
Although small rodents are the main hosts for the virus, shrews, bats, and monkeys may also carry the virus. People are infected with KFDV, albeit rarely (~450 cases annually), a tick bite or by contact with an infected animal like a sick monkey.
According to the CDC, the symptoms of KFD include:
After an incubation period of 3-8 days, the symptoms of KFD begin suddenly with fever, headache, severe muscle pain, cough, dehydration, gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding problems. Patients may experience abnormally low blood pressure, and low platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell counts. After 1-2 weeks of symptoms, some patients recover without complication. However, in most patients, the illness is biphasic and the patient begins experiencing a second wave of symptoms at the beginning of the third week. These symptoms include fever and signs of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). KFD has a fatality rate of less than 5%.
There is no specific treatment for KFD; however, treating dehydration and bleeding disorders are important.
The experts at ProMed state that there is a safe and effective inactivated vaccine available in India.
Thirthahalli is located in the Shimoga District of the state of Karnataka, India.
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