Kyasanur Forest disease – India
- February 9, 2022
- < 1 min read
February 9, 2022 – A case of Kyasanur Forest Disease has been reported in Wayanad district, India. The individual is a 24-year-old adult male. The individual was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Mananthavady and undergoing medical care. No deaths or other cases have been reported and the individual’s condition is stable.
After hospitalization on January 29, 2022, the Kyasanur Forest Disease was discovered in the individual through obtained samples sent to a public health laboratory for analysis. The contraction of the virus was likely due to exposure while the individual was collecting forest produces from a nearby forest. This forest may have been populated with the ticks.
Officials state that surveillance has been carried out to investigate forest fringe “hotspots” in the district. Individuals who reside or venture near forest fringes were encourages to don protective clothing such as gloves and gumboots to prevent against tick bites. They have also been encouraged to use repellent lotions when in a forest fringe environment. Finally, forest personnel have been tasked to collect details of identified monkey deaths in the areas where the disease has been suspected.
Photo: colorized electron micrograph of Powassan Virus, a member of the same family.
Kyasanur forest disease is a tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to South-western part of India.
Prevention is by vaccination, as well as preventive measures such as protective clothing and tick population control.
The symptoms of the disease include a high fever with frontal headaches, chills, Severe muscle pain with vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding problems may occur 3 to 4 days after initial symptom onset.
The disease was first reported from Kyasanur Forest of Karnataka in India in March 1957.
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