High alert over monkey fever

High alert has been sounded in parts of Karnataka following directions issued by the Indian Council for Medical Research to take necessary precautions to prevent any outbreak of monkey fever (Kyasanur Forest disease).

Several parts of the Western Ghats and districts in other Indian states, including Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa, have also been put on alert as this is the season when the fever spreads rapidly. 

In Maharashtra’s Sindhudurga region bordering Karnataka, at least 125 have tested positive for monkey fever and seven have died between January and July, this year.

In 2016, Karnataka reported 16 cases in Belagavi, according to Dr Rajini M, deputy director, Communicable Diseases, department of Health and Family Welfare. The flu spreads as infected monkeys migrate from one region to another. Following the death of the animal, fleas act as carriers of the virus. The disease is prevalent between March and May. Primary symptoms of the disease are high fever and internal bleeding.