Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is a re-emerging zoonotic disease caused by the KFDV flavivirus. It remains a neglected disease because it mainly affects marginalized, forest-dependent communities, resulting in limited awareness, insufficient funding, and less research.
KFDV spreads to humans and primates through hard ticks (Haemaphysalis spinigera) found in forested areas. These ticks acquire the virus from infected small rodents or monkeys and can then transmit it to humans. Handling or coming into close contact with sick or dead monkeys also carries a significant infection risk, though the disease does not spread from human to human. It primarily affects the Western Ghats region of our country.
Affected individuals may suffer from a biphasic hemorrhagic fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and bleeding. It can also lead to long-term neurological complications and carries a mortality rate of around 3–10%.
Although there is a vaccine available, its effectiveness is limited and the immunity it provides is short-lived. In addition, the strains it was designed to protect against have undergone genetic drift. This is why stronger funding and updated research are urgently needed. Dead monkeys can act as warning signals that KFD is circulating in a forest area, and measures to keep cattle tick-free may also help reduce human exposure. This highlights the need for collaboration between forest departments, veterinarians, and physicians in these marginalised areas.
What other precautions do you think people living in affected areas can follow to protect themselves from this deadly disease?