Monkey fever claims one in Kerala: What is Kyasanur forest disease? Symptoms, treatment and prevention

New Delhi: Kyasanur forest disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, has claimed at least one life in Wayanad district in North Kerala. According to reports, four more people have been infected with the disease and are under treatment. First identified in 1957, the disease is caused by Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV), a member of the virus family Flaviviridae, which also includes yellow fever and dengue fever.

Dr R Renuka, District Medical Officer (DMO) of Wayanad told TNM that officials in the district are on high alert and are working with the Karnataka state health department to ensure that people, especially those working in the forest and are prone to coming in contact with ticks, are being alerted. She also said that the vaccination drive has already begun in guidance with the officials who had handled the outbreaks in January in Shivamogga district in Karnataka.

Kyasanur forest disease is a highly infectious tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever and is associated with high mortality rates. As per the CDC, transmission of the disease may occur after a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, particularly a sick or recently dead monkey.

She also said that the vaccination drive has already begun in guidance with the officials who had handled the outbreaks in January in Shivamogga district in Karnataka.

The symptoms of Kyasanur forest disease begin suddenly and include fever, chills, and headache. Severe muscle pains (at the nape of the neck, lumbar region and calf muscles), vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding problems may occur 3-4 days after the onset of initial symptoms. Patients may also experience abnormally low blood pressure, and low platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell counts, as per information available at CDC.

In most cases, patients recover without any complications after one to two weeks of symptoms. However, the disease is biphasic for a few patients (about 10-20%) who develop a second wave of symptoms in the third week of illness. These are characterised by fever and neurological symptoms such as severe headache, neck stiffness, mental disturbance, coarse tremors, vision deficits, etc.

There is no specific treatment for KFD, but early hospitalisation and supportive therapy such as maintenance of hydration and management of neurological symptoms may help control bleeding disorders and complications.

The main strategy to prevent or reduce the risk of monkey fever is to get vaccinated against KFD, especially if you live in an area where ticks are endemic. The vaccine, which consists of formalin-inactivated KFD, has a 62.4% effectiveness rate for people who receive two doses, as per Wikipedia. The effectiveness increases to 82.9% for those who receive an additional dose.

Other preventive measures include- wearing protective clothing, using insect repellents, preventing bites, avoiding contact with dead monkeys, use of spray insecticides in a 50-meter radius around a dead monkey, etc.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a professional healthcare provider if you have any specific questions about any medical matter.