Udupi: Deputy Commissioner Vidya Kumari K Officials have been instructed to implement necessary Precautions control Kyasanur forest disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey feverusually occurs between November and June. She stressed the importance of inter-departmental coordination to effectively manage the situation.
At a recent coordination committee meeting chaired by Rajachandri, the district council discussed the precautionary measures required to prevent KFD and other zoonotic diseases. There are currently no reported cases in the district.
She explained that KFD often occurs when people venture into the forest and encounter ticks carried by monkeys or livestock. To prevent this from happening, she stressed the need to raise public awareness. The area where the dead monkey was found will be marked as a hotspot and a fever survey will be conducted within a radius of 2 kilometers. She also directed local health boards to hold awareness meetings and disseminate health messages to residents and visitors.
Door-to-door awareness campaigns will be carried out, especially for communities living near higher-risk forest areas. Symptoms of monkey fever include high fever lasting 3-5 days, severe body aches, red eyes, cough and cold. Forest department staff are advised to immediately report any death of a monkey to the health department and take preventive measures. Highway advertising billboards should also be used for promotional activities.
Further, Vidya Kumari pointed out that dog bite cases have increased in the district and directed to take all necessary measures to control such cases. Adequate stocks of dog and snake bite vaccines should be maintained to ensure prompt treatment.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr IP Gadad, District Surgeon Dr H. Ashok, District Surveillance Officer Dr Nagaratna, Malaria Control Officer Dr Prashanth Bhat and others were present.
