Disclosing the number of cases of Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) or Monkey fever in Sattari taluka, Director of Health Services Dr Sanjiv Dalvi has stated that 288 samples of KFD were tested at Manipal, of which 63 tested positive this year, while 36 tested positive last year.
Providing the statistics at a meet convened by Health Minister Francis D'Souza and Forest Minister Rejendra Arlekar along with officials at the Valpoi Community Health Centre, Dr Dalvi also added that 13 monkeys had died probably due to KFD. Clarifying that KFD is not transmitted from person to person, Dr Dalvi stated that the disease is transmitted mostly by infected monkeys through ticks bites, or through any infected animals.
The health director discouraged trekking in the forests linked to the KFD cases.
He informed that the vaccines which have been ordered from Bangalore would be available by February end.
