Kerala: 24-year-old man test positive for Monkey fever in Wayanad, patient under hospital care

Wayanad (Ker), Feb 10: A 24-year-old man from Panavally tribal settlement in Thirunnelli grama panchayat of the high-range district here has been inflicted with the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or more commonly known as monkey fever, health department officials said.

District Medical Officer Dr Sakeena told PTI that being a seasonal fever, the health authorities have already given an alert and urged local people to remain cautious.

She said the 24-year old youth has been admitted in Mananthavady medical College and is under medical observation. His health condition is stable and no other case has been reported so far, she added.

Monkey fever is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to the southern part of the country. India.

The disease is caused by a virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae, which also includes yellow fever and dengue fever, which are transmitted by monkeys.

This is the first case of monkey fever reported in Kerala in the present year.

What is monkey fever?

Monkey fever is medically termed as Kyasanur forest disease is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by a virus that belongs to the family Flaviviridae.

Insects, sticks are the carrier of this virus and humans get infected by the bites of these insects.

Monkey fever is a vector-borne disease that mainly affects monkeys and human beings.

The infection spreads to people who handled infected dead monkeys. It is a zoonotic fever with a sudden onset of high fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and neurological and hemorrhagic symptoms.

Symptoms

The fever is generally represented as chills with a severe pounding headache which is followed by bleeding from the nose, throat, gums and even the intestine after 4 days of the onset of the symptoms. The incubation period of this fever is generally 3-8 days.

Nausea
Vomiting
Muscle stiffness
Mental disorder
Tremors
Poor vision
Severe headache
Poor reflexes

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for monkey fever, however, it is recommended to seek immediate medical attention to manage the condition.