Residents of areas affected with Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, have welcomed the allocation of funds for research on tackling the disease and to provide advanced medical treatment for the patients, in the State government’s budget of the year 2019-20.
The State government has allocated as amount of ₹5 crore for research work related to the vaccine against the disease. Residents of the affected areas had staged several protests demanding enhancing the efficacy of the vaccine administered against the disease. The vaccine against KFD is prepared at Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biological, Bengaluru. The present demand for vaccine in Shivamogga district is at 2.23 lakh units.
In addition, ₹5 crore has been sanctioned to establish a KFD research and treatment centre at McGann Hospital, a government hospital attached to Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences.
Chandraraju, a member of Arlagod GP in Sagar taluk, identified as the epicentre of this season’s outbreak of monkey fever, told The Hindu that the work on research and treatment centre should be completed at the earliest.
R.M. Manjunatha Gowda, president, JD(S) district unit, welcomed the announcement in the budget to develop an airstrip in Shivamogga.
