<p>Bengaluru: Within the first fortnight of the New Year, Karnataka has reported two positive cases of the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever. </p><p>The state health department has vowed to work towards ensuring there are zero deaths due to KFD this year. </p><p>The patients are Kushal (63) from Basavani village, Shivamogga, and Sathish (24) from Kadabagere, Chikkamagaluru. While Kushal has been discharged, Sathish is recovering in a private hospital in Manipal. Both of them had experienced the onset of symptoms roughly 11 days ago. </p><p>In a review meeting on January 16, senior health officers directed district health and surveillance officers (DHOs, DSOs) to coordinate with the forest department to reduce KFD spread. </p>.'Govt medical college, super-specialty hospital should be established in all districts': Siddaramaiah .<p>"We do not want any KFD-related deaths this year. Our prevention and surveillance systems this time are more robust than last year so we are aiming at zero deaths,” said a senior official privy to the discussions. </p><p>Department data shows that, in 2024, the state reported 14 deaths and 303 confirmed cases, out of 17,441 samples tested. </p><p>The tick-borne viral disease is endemic to the forested districts along the Western Ghats in Karnataka, besides other southern states. </p><p>A researcher working on KFD over the past six years noted that the discontinuation of the previous KFD vaccine in July 2022 has meant that the only effective method to bring down cases and fatalities is to increase targeted, multi-department prevention and awareness efforts. </p><p>Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said that surveillance must begin before the KFD season, which peaks between January and April, and the department must identify tick density across endemic areas. </p><p>"They have to also identify which villages see a high rodent population. Rodents carry the ticks from forests to plantations and peridomestic areas. The spillover is a lot more wherever there is forest fragmentation," he said, adding that local health officers must inform the other residents of an area whenever a case is confirmed. </p><p>"We notice some delay in informing the villagers, which should not be the case. People would take more precautions if they knew of a case in their vicinity," he added. </p><p>State health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao assured that the department is tracking the progress of a new vaccine for KFD, which is in the works. “We don’t want further delays beyond 2026,” he said. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Within the first fortnight of the New Year, Karnataka has reported two positive cases of the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever. </p><p>The state health department has vowed to work towards ensuring there are zero deaths due to KFD this year. </p><p>The patients are Kushal (63) from Basavani village, Shivamogga, and Sathish (24) from Kadabagere, Chikkamagaluru. While Kushal has been discharged, Sathish is recovering in a private hospital in Manipal. Both of them had experienced the onset of symptoms roughly 11 days ago. </p><p>In a review meeting on January 16, senior health officers directed district health and surveillance officers (DHOs, DSOs) to coordinate with the forest department to reduce KFD spread. </p>.'Govt medical college, super-specialty hospital should be established in all districts': Siddaramaiah .<p>"We do not want any KFD-related deaths this year. Our prevention and surveillance systems this time are more robust than last year so we are aiming at zero deaths,” said a senior official privy to the discussions. </p><p>Department data shows that, in 2024, the state reported 14 deaths and 303 confirmed cases, out of 17,441 samples tested. </p><p>The tick-borne viral disease is endemic to the forested districts along the Western Ghats in Karnataka, besides other southern states. </p><p>A researcher working on KFD over the past six years noted that the discontinuation of the previous KFD vaccine in July 2022 has meant that the only effective method to bring down cases and fatalities is to increase targeted, multi-department prevention and awareness efforts. </p><p>Speaking on the condition of anonymity, he said that surveillance must begin before the KFD season, which peaks between January and April, and the department must identify tick density across endemic areas. </p><p>"They have to also identify which villages see a high rodent population. Rodents carry the ticks from forests to plantations and peridomestic areas. The spillover is a lot more wherever there is forest fragmentation," he said, adding that local health officers must inform the other residents of an area whenever a case is confirmed. </p><p>"We notice some delay in informing the villagers, which should not be the case. People would take more precautions if they knew of a case in their vicinity," he added. </p><p>State health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao assured that the department is tracking the progress of a new vaccine for KFD, which is in the works. “We don’t want further delays beyond 2026,” he said. </p>