Shivamogga: Shivamogga health officials have begun a vaccination programme in six taluks of the district against the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) which claimed six lives in the Malnad last year after as many as 345 people tested positive for it, spreading panic in the region.
In more precautions, the officials are distributing DMP oil, an insect repellent, to keep at bay the ticks that are known to spread the disease, also known as Monkey Fever.
The Hemyphysalis ticks, that are rampant in the Western Ghats, carry viruses from infected monkeys, especially the Macaca Radiata and Hanuman Langurs, and spread it among humans with their bite.
Those infected suffer from fever, vomiting and several complications as the disease progresses. The first case of Monkey Fever was reported in 1958 in Sagara taluk of the district and the vaccine against it was developed in the nineties.
Last year, the Aralagoodu gram panchayat of Sagara taluk was the epicentre of the disease. Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, Shivamogga Surveillance Officer, Shankarappa said an injective vaccination programme had begun to contain the disease this season in the region. "The vaccination has been going on in six taluks of the district since a month and we have 60,000 bottles of DPM oil for distribution in the affected areas," he said.
Health officials have in addition randomly collected samples of ticks in forests areas and run pathological tests on them to see if they are carrying the monkey fever.
If a monkey is found dead, samples from its carcass are sent for lab tests to Pune to confirm the presence of KFD. If the tests prove positive for the disease, the region is declared a risk area, according to the officer.
