Monkey fever! No trekking in Kudremukh park for now

Chikkamagaluru: Trekking has been suspended in the Kudremukh National Park spread across Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts since January 21 due to the threat from monkey fever in the region and rising forest fires.

“We have suspended  trekking in Kudremukh as a precaution as parts of Karkala and Udupi have reported deaths from monkey fever. It will be resumed after we assess the situation again," said the park's Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ruthren.

In other precautions, forest and health officials are speedily disposing of monkey carcasses found in the area to stop people from coming into contact with them. Some samples collected from the dead monkeys have tested positive for the disease, according to Mr Ruthren.

The Kurinjal peak  and the Kudremukh peak are hot trekking spots in the Kudremukh National Park,  drawing trekking enthusiasts by the droves over the weekends and on holidays.

Meanwhile, there was fresh panic in Aralagoodu in Shivamogga district, the epicentre of the disease,  after two more carcasses of monkeys were discovered close to the village on Thursday. A woman, who was treated for the fever and returned home from hospital, has once again developed symptoms of it, leading to more anxiety among her family and villagers.

Aralagoodu Gram Panchayat member,  Chandranath, said although cases of  monkey fever appeared to have subsided for a while, they were continuing to surface despite the best efforts of the health department to contain the disease. Monkey fever or the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is transmitted to humans from monkeys through infected ticks and has been regularly surfacing in the region around it, claiming lives and  causing panic among the people.