Kalpetta: Drive against monkey fever

KALPETTA: The health department has taken steps to prevent the spread of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) reported among those who reside inside and on the fringes of the forest in the district. Only two cases have been reported so far, health officials said. 

A campaign is on among the residents of Tirunelli and various other tribal hamlets and human habitats close to the jungle on the steps to be taken to avoid the disease.

Two cases of monkey fever, one from Tirunelli near Mananthavadi and the other from Bavali near Pulppalli, were reported in the district the other day. 
The cases were confirmed after medical examination of the body fluids and blood samples collected from the patients.   

 District surveillance officer Dr Noona Marja told DC that both the persons are part of a group that used to visit Bairakuppa, a KFD hotspot where two of the group had died earlier.

“Soon after the disease was confirmed, alerts were sent across the forest regions and those living on the fringes of forest to check for monkey deaths and keep a watch on the spread of ticks from the body of dead monkeys that carry the virus,” she said.

January to June is the season that ticks spread this disease. So the health department has been on alert after the disease was reported from Karnataka,
Vaccines have been stocked and ointments for those who enter forest zones have been distributed.

The district administration has been holding regular review meetings, said health officials.