Two more patients were admitted to the District Hospital at Mananthavadi with the symptoms of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD or Monkey Fever) on Monday.
As many as four confirmed KFD cases were reported in the district in a week and a woman died of the disease on Sunday.
The samples collected from the patients were sent to the Manipal Centre for Virus Research for further analysis, District surveillance officer Noona Marja said.
Surveillance had been stepped up in the hotspot areas identified by the Health Department, Dr. Noona Marja said.
Reluctance
Close to 300 doses of vaccines had been stocked and a further 1,000 doses had been ordered.
But the reluctance of villagers to take the vaccination was a major challenge, Dr. Noona said.
Meanwhile, Wayanad Collector Adeela Abdulla had convened a meeting of senior officials of the Health, Forest and Animal Husbandry Departments on Monday to assess the situation.
The meet was convened in the wake of a KFD death reported in a tribal hamlet at Kattikulam under the Appappara Family Health Centre on Sunday.
“Directions have been given to the Health, Forest and Animal Husbandry Departments to intensify preventive measures, including a door-to-door vaccination drive in Thirunelly grama panchayat to combat KFD,” Ms. Abdulla told The Hindu.
Ms. Abdulla also directed to give special care to the patients admitted at the District Hospital, Mananthavadi with the symptoms of fever.
When Ms. Abdulla had visited the hamlet, the residents complained that earlier the disease had transmitted only to those who frequently visiting the forest but, now it was transmitted from monkeys which were straying in human habitats.
Hence steps should be adopted to cull the stray monkeys, they said.
Ms. Abdulla directed the Forest and Wildlife officials to chalk out a project to curb monkey menace in the area.
