News Karnataka
Thursday, March 28 2024
Cricket
Shivamogga

Monkey fever: Vaccination campaign underway in Shivamogga district

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monkey vaccShivamogga: A vaccination campaign, conducted by the Karnataka Health Department, is currently underway in the ‘Monkey Fever’ affected villages of the Shivamogga district.

‘Monkey Fever’ also known as the Kyasanuru Forest Disease (KFD), is caused by Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV) and gets transmitted to humans after a tick bite or contact with an infected or recently deceased monkey.

It can be recalled that 23 people died from the disease last year and more than 400 were infected.

The mobile health team has been approaching far-off areas of the district this time around as around 20 per cent of the people have still not been vaccinated.

Deputy Director, of the Viral Diagnostic laboratory DR SK Kiran told ANI, “Last year it was a big outbreak, we started vaccination from June. Aralagodu village lost twenty lives. Unfortunately, people are not coming to take the vaccination. They should take this vaccination twice in a year.”

The team plans to conduct several awareness programmes by way of folk songs, dances and dramas in order to connect with the villagers, he added.

KFD program director, Dr Darshan told ANI that they are working on a research project funded by the research council of UK and Indian council of agricultural research.

He added that Indian institutes such as the Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi, ICAR – National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics, Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Bengaluru, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services (DHFWS), Karnataka Institute of Public Health (IPH), Bengaluru are collaborating to identify the disease’s risk factors.

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