The Health department has issued an alert for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, in Wayanad district in the wake of a recent outbreak of the disease in the neighbouring districts of Karnataka.
As many as 49 suspected KFD cases and two deaths have been reported in Karnataka since January 1. Hence, the public should be vigilant against the spread of the disease since the district shares border with Karnataka, District Medical Officer P. Dineesh said.
Surveillance measures have been strengthened in civic bodies that share border with Karnataka, he added.
Though no KFD cases have been reported in the district this year, any symptoms such as high fever, body pain, headache, stomach pain, and diarrhoea should be reported to the nearest health centre, the DMO said.
As the viral disease, transmitted to humans through a species of ticks found on monkeys, had been mainly reported from hamlets near the forest on the Kerala-Karnataka border, the public in those regions should be vigilant, he added.
If carcasses of monkeys are in forest areas, it should be reported to Health, Forest or Animal Husbandry departments, Dr. Dineesh said.
People on the fringes of forests should use gloves, gumboots, and lotions before entering forests. Lotions should also be applied on domestic animals before taking them for grazing, he said.
The first case of the disease in the district was reported in 2013 and another confirmed case was reported in 2014. The virus wreaked havoc in 2015 when 102 cases were reported. As many as 11 persons died of the disease then.
