Kyasanur forest disease

Kyasanur forest disease

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Context: Restoring Karnataka’s forests can curb its monkey menace and Kyasanur disease outbreaks.

More on the News:

• Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the devastating impact of a zoonotic disease. While the way to avert such pandemics is to break the chain of transmission from wildlife to humans.
• One such zoonotic illness where spillover events appear to have increased, resulting in recurring outbreaks, is Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) or monkey fever.
• Researchers believe that the disease was for centuries endemic to the forests of the Western Ghats, circulating silently among primates and ticks. It was first identified in 1957 after an outbreak in a Kyasanur forest village in Shivamogga district of Karnataka.
• Though outbreaks have remained largely confined to the area, the disease in the past few decades has begun to spread to other states, with Tamil Nadu and Kerala reporting KFD for the first time in 2013, followed by Goa in 2015 and Maharashtra in 2016.
• Further analysis showed that the prevalence of KFD and density of ticks are highest in areas where forests are degraded. This shows that habitat loss is the root cause of the increase in human-macaque conflicts as well as KFD outbreaks.
• Over 70 per cent of forest land has been denotified for purposes like growing timber.
• Ecological restoration of such degraded forests seems to be the only sustainable and ethical solution to mitigate the situation. This may be attained by reconnecting wildlife corridors and forest fragments, which in turn will minimise human-wildlife conflict.
• In plantations, mature trees can be periodically removed in patches and native fruit trees be planted to restore the habitat. With time, entire plantations can be converted into native forests, addressing the problems of macaque conflict and KFD.

Kyasanur forest disease

• Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, is a tick-borne viral disease that primarily affects monkeys and humans.
• It was first identified in 1957 in the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka, India.
• Transmission: KFD is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks that primarily feed on monkeys. Humans can also contract the virus through contact with the blood or tissues of infected animals. Person-to-person transmission is rare.
• Symptoms: The symptoms of KFD in humans include high fever, headache, muscle pain, and vomiting. In severe cases, the disease can progress to hemorrhagic fever and neurological complications.
• Prevention: There is no specific treatment for KFD, and prevention is focused on reducing exposure to infected ticks. This includes wearing protective clothing, using tick repellents, and avoiding areas where ticks are prevalent. A vaccine is available for individuals at high risk of exposure to the virus, such as forest workers and healthcare workers.
• Control measures: The control measures for KFD include surveillance for outbreaks, prompt diagnosis and treatment of cases, and control of tick populations through measures such as habitat modification and use of acaricides (tick-killing chemicals).
• Geographical spread: KFD is endemic to certain regions in India, including parts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Goa. Outbreaks of the disease have also been reported in neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka and Malaysia.