Karnataka extends free monkey fever treatment to all patients

Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that a vaccine for KFD is currently under development at the Indian Council of Medical Research

The Karnataka government has announced that free treatment for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, will now be available to all affected patients, regardless of their economic status. Initially limited to families below the poverty line (BPL), the facility has now been extended to those above the poverty line (APL) as well.

Dinesh Gundu Rao (PTI)

“Members of APL families affected by KFD will now receive free treatment at hospitals registered under the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust. This initiative will benefit hundreds of families,” said health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Highlighting the government’s response to the outbreak, the minister said that a vaccine for KFD is currently under development at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The first phase of trials has shown promising results, and human trials are set to begin in April. “Based on how clinical trials go, the vaccine is expected to be available by 2026,” he added.

KFD, a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic disease, has been rapidly spreading across the Malnad and coastal regions, and in Karnataka’s neighbouring states along the Western Ghats. Caused by a Flavivirus, the disease has a fatality rate of 3% to 15%, significantly higher than the 2.6% mortality rate associated with dengue.

Environmental factors such as deforestation, land-use changes, and insufficient rainfall have been linked to the increasing spread of the disease. Experts warned that delays in treatment can lead to multiple organ failure, increasing the risk of fatality. The disease follows a seasonal pattern, peaking in the summer months before subsiding during the monsoon.

Since 2003, at least 59 people have succumbed to KFD in Karnataka, prompting authorities to intensify disease surveillance and preventive measures in affected regions.