Condemning the alleged failure by the State government to prevent the outbreak of Kyasanur Forest Disease(KFD), also known as monkey fever, members of KFD Janajagruthi Okkoota staged a protest in the city on Thursday.
Addressing the protest meet, K.P. Sripal, social activist and a functionary of the Okkuta, alleged that field level surveillance work including collection of the bodies of dead monkeys in the forest and testing their viscera in the laboratory and collection of tick pools in forest areas and testing them were not done in a proper manner this year, resulting in the outbreak.
Demanding that the State government promote research work on enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine administered against KFD, he expressed displeasure at the delay in commencement of work related to establishment of a study and research centre on KFD in Sagar town for which the State government has allocated an amount of ₹15 crore.
Writer and environmentalist Shashi Sampalli criticised the State government for the frequent change in its stand on reimbursement of the expenses incurred by the KFD affected people to get medical treatment at private health establishments and the delay in clearance of bills related to the treatment offered by private hospitals to KFD patients last year.
He said that, as agriculture labourers and small land holders form the major chunk of the residents of the villages affected by KFD, the State government should make reimbursement of expenses incurred at private health establishments a permanent aspect of its official policy on tackling the disease.
He also demanded measures to address the monkey menace in Malnad region that has resulted in outbreak of KFD and crop loss.
The protesters raised slogans demanding ₹10 lakh as compensation for the family members of the persons who die due to KFD.
