SHIVAMOGGA: A 19-year-old girl from the Hosanagara taluk died due to Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) on Monday. She was admitted to KMC Hospital in Manipal in Udupi district. This is the first death due to KFD this year.
KFD is a viral infection that is transmitted by ticks and affects humans and animals. It causes fever, headache, bleeding problems, and sometimes death. It is mainly found in the western parts of Karnataka, where it was first discovered in 1957. There is a vaccine available for KFD, but prevention also involves avoiding tick bites and contact with infected animals.
The girl was from Aramane Koppa village in the Sampekatte Primary Health Centre limits in the Hosanagara taluk of the district. District Health Officer Dr Rajesh Suragihalli told The New Indian Express that the girl had gone to dehusking arecanut at Analekoppa village on December 26. She developed a fever the next day. Her family members took her to a private hospital for treatment. Her symptoms improved a bit but temporarily.
"When our health workers visited her house on December 30, she was semi-conscious with a high fever. She was immediately shifted to McGann Hospital in Shivamogga. She was suffering from brain fever, and her haemoglobin level was at a level of 3.5 g/dl. She also tested negative for KFD on January 2. However, she was still critical. When she was subjected to tests again on January 4, she tested positive for KFD. She was immediately rushed to Manipal," the DHO said.
The DHO said that the girl died at the hospital on Monday. "The girl was suffering from meningitis, and the KDF infection aggravated her condition. I have asked the officials concerned to conduct a death audit of the case," the DHO said. He also said that the deceased girl's sister was also suffering from fever but she tested positive for dengue. The girl's sister is recovering.
Dr Suragihalli also said that her village last reported KFD in 2014, and since then it has been a non-KFD area. "Immediately after the girl tested positive for KFD, a mass screening of people was done. We collected samples of around 145 people in the villages nearby, and all of them tested negative. Since September, we have screened 2,911 people for KDF and of them, only two cases were positive," the DHO added.