Bengaluru: KP Sripal, an advocate from Shivamogga has filed a petition in the Karnataka High Court, asking the state government to provide medical facilities to treat people suffering from Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) in the state, and also to supply sufficient quantity of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) oil, a tick repellent, to people in areas affected by the disease.
Responding to the petition the HC has sought directions from the state government to make sufficient vaccines available, particularly for the residents living close to forest areas in Shivamogga. The court has also asked the health department to set up KFD disease diagnostic centres in the district and form an expert team to find dead monkeys and perform scientific studies on them.
The disease which was first discovered in 1957 in the Kyasanur forest range of Shivamogga, was reported in Aralagodu village in Sagar taluk of the district in 2018. The disease has claimed six lives till date.
