What is monkey fever? A disease that claimed two lives in India's Karnataka

Two people lost their lives in the southern Indian state of Karnataka due to monkey fever, news agency PTI reported citing officials from the state's health department. The reported cases forced the authorities to hold meetings and review the preparedness to tackle the spread of the viral infection.

An 18-year-old girl, whose identity has not been revealed, was the first death reported due to Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) - also known as monkey fever.

PTI report added that the second fatality was reported in Udupi district when a 79-year-old man from Sringeri taluk in Chikkamagaluru died in a private hospital. His identity was also not revealed.

According to the news agency, around 50 positive cases ofmonkey fever have been reported across the state till now. At least 34 cases were reported in Uttara Kannada district, 12 in Shivamogga, and three in Chikkamagaluru district.

Karnataka's Health Commissioner stated that since January 1, the Health Department has collected 2,288 samples from impacted districts where KFD cases have been reported. At least 48 of them tested positive.

As quoted by PTI, Dr Neeraj B, who is the Uttara Kannada District Health Officer, said, "Once you contract monkey fever, you develop symptoms in the next three to five days which could be high fever, severe body ache, headache, redness of eyes, cold and cough."

"As of Friday, we have 31 cases of monkey fever in the district. 12 people are admitted to hospitals. All of them are stable and so far, we have not witnessed any serious cases. All precautions are being taken. Our medical officers and field staff have done multiple meetings at the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat levels. All our taluk and district hospitals are equipped with staff and facilities to deal with such cases," he told PTI.

What is monkey fever?

Monkey fever spreads due to the bites of ticks that generally survive on monkeys. This tick attacks humans, causing the illness. Humans can also get the disease by coming into touch with livestock infected by ticks.

A report, published on monkeyfeverrisk.ceh.ac.UK, says that monkey fever can be fatal to humans and other primates.

The disease's symptoms include high fever, frontal headaches, chills, severe muscle pain, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal issues. There may be hemorrhagic manifestations with blood in sputumand stools in some days following the initial symptom onset.

In some of the cases, patients may experience abnormally low blood pressure, and low platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell count.

(With inputs from agencies)