Blood samples found negative for monkey fever in Dakshina Kannada district

No confirmed case of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as monkey fever, has been reported from any part of Dakshina Kannada district, a health official said. The tests on samples of dead monkeys and blood samples of suspected patients from the district at the National Institute of Virology, Pune have been negative for KFD, district health officer M Ramakrishna Rao told reporters here Wednesday.

Five suspected cases had been reported so far in the district. Rao said 22 monkeys were found dead in various parts since the KFD broke out in neighbouring districts. An autopsy conducted on the dead monkeys also did not confirm that they died of the disease. The health department is keeping a close watch on the situation and continuing the tests and people in the district need not panic, he said.