Bengaluru: The state’s first monkey fever death of the year occurred in Thirthahalli of Shivamogga district. The 29-year-old man passed away Wednesday at Manipal’s KMC Hospital in the neighbouring Udupi district, where he was shifted following the worsening of his symptoms.The deceased suffered from fever since Jan 20, and blood tests confirmed he contracted Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever. He was initially admitted to a local hospital and was shifted to Manipal Hospital Sunday. “This is an unusual and unfortunate case, as usually, if KFD is detected within a week of contraction, the survival rate is close to 100%. In his case, our officers immediately picked him up after symptoms were reported, and KFD was confirmed within one day, and the referral happened quickly. He was stable until a couple of days ago,” said Gurudatta Hegde, commissioner, health department.However, this death has now raised alarms among the locals regarding the adequacy of local medical infrastructure. Hegde said following the patient’s death, surveillance was amped up in Malenadu areas. “We have taken up aggressive surveillance and sharply monitoring symptoms among others in the surrounding areas,” he said.With the vaccine being developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) expected to be available only by next year, the department is relying on DEPA oil, which is a tick-repellent, for the remaining months of the season. KFD usually begins in Karnataka by Nov, peaks by Jan and Feb and goes on until June.
