Valpoi: Three more cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease (monkey fever) have been confirmed in Sattari, taking the total number of cases to six. A monkey carcass has also been found in the forest at Mauxi.
Experts from the Virology Department of Manipal University, Karnataka, visited the villages of Mauxi, Dabe and Zarme on Wednesday and interviewed many locals about the disease; they have also collected blood and urine samples for analysis.
Meanwhile, panic has spread in the three villages as six locals have been affected by KFD.
According to Health Dept sources, the six affected persons – five from Mauxi and one from Zarme – have tested positive for monkey fever. All complained of fever and severe body pain, and were tested by the Virology Dept of Manipal University which has opened a centre at Valpoi.
Health officials stated that when the villagers informed them about the dead monkeys, they immediately informed the Forest Dept, which visited the site and found a carcass in an area near the village. However, the carcass has not been removed.
The team of VDMU experts that visited Mauxi made house-to-house visits and collected blood samples from people who had a fever. Even the Valpoi Community Health Centre is conducting a series of awareness programs for the residents of Mauxi and nearby villages. Dr Surekha Parulekar has urged the villagers to take the following precautions to prevent KFD: Walk in the middle of trails and away from tall grass and bushes, wear long-sleeve shirts and pants, wear light-coloured clothing so that ticks can be seen easily, wear a hat and shoes, do not enter forests barefoot, checking for ticks on the body, take a hot water bath and scrub properly after returning from the forest, report any monkey deaths in the forest or village to the Forest Department/Health Centre.
It may be recalled that 31 confirmed case of KFD were reported last summer, out of which four villagers from Palli died.
