Five new positive cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, have been reported in the district since Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the blood samples of four persons tested positive for KFD that includes three persons from Tirthahalli taluk and one from Sagar taluk who is the father of the four-year-old boy from Seegemakki in Sharavathi river backwater region who was diagnosed for KFD recently. All the four have been hospitalised and their health condition was stable.
On Thursday, the blood samples of a 35-year-old farmer from Bettabasavani in Tirthahalli taluk tested positive for the disease. He was suffering from high fever and ache in joints from the past few days.
With this, the total number of positive cases in the district since January 1 has risen to 141 that includes 112 cases from Tirthahalli taluk and 29 cases from Sagar taluk. As many as five persons have died in the district due to the disease during this period.
Meanwhile, B.Y. Raghavendra, Shivamogga MP, held a meeting with the officials of Department of Health and Family Welfare in the city and took information from them on the measures taken to tackle KFD. Mr. Raghavendra told the meeting that the State government would seek the assistance of experts from Indian Council of Medical Research and Indian Institute of Science on enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine administered against KFD, to study the reasons for the outbreak in 2019 and 2020 and on stepping-up field level surveillance activities to control the spread of the disease.
