The Kasargod district in North Kerala has been put on a high alert as cases of Kyasanur Forest Disease, popularly known as Monkey fever, have been reported from within about 50 to 100 kilometres from the Kerala border into Karnataka.
The Kasargod district administration alerted the people living near the border areas to be cautious, especially on spotting dead monkeys. Those going inside forest areas were also advised to keep off for quite some time. People are also advised to seek immediate medical attention in case of symptoms like fever, vomiting and headache, said Kasargod district medical officer A P Dinesh Kumar.
Health department officials said that the chances of the disease spreading are quite high as the monkeys in Karnataka forest area would frequently come to parts of Kerala also.
Earlier, two cases of Monkey Fever was reported from the border district of Wayanad. Both the persons were working at a farm in Bairakuppa in Kerala-Karnataka border. The Wayanad Health department authorities suspected that they got the disease from the farm which was located in Karnataka. Immediate medical care was provided to both of them.
Monkey fever outbreak was last reported in Kerala in 2015. As many as 11 persons died due to the disease in Wayanad district and 100 persons were infected by the disease then.