KYASANUR DISEASE

One zoonotic illness where spillover events appear to have increased, resulting in recurring outbreaks, is Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) or monkey fever.
The illness is named after Kyasanur forest in the Western Ghats, where it originated.
It is a haemorrhagic fever borne by the tick, Haemaphysalis spinigera.
It has a fatality rate of 3-5 per cent.
It causes acute febrile hemorrhagic illness in humans and monkeys especially in southern part of India.
The disease is caused by highly pathogenic KFD virus (KFDV) which belongs to member of the genus Flavivirus and family Flaviviridae.
It was first identified in 1957 after an outbreak in a Kyasanur forest village in Shivamogga district of Karnataka

Why the disease is spreading?

Growing conflicts between humans and monkeys, particularly bonnet macaque (Macaca radiata) that is highly susceptible to KFD virus.
Villages in the district are surrounded by either monoculture plantations, degraded forests, or natural forests.
Conflicts with macaques are common in areas with mosaics of monoculture plantations, specifically acacia farms, or where agricultural land has increased in recent decades.
Macaques started invading villages only with the decline in native fruit-bearing species in the forests.
Habitat loss is the root cause of the increase in human-macaque conflicts as well as KFD outbreaks.

Way forward:

Ecological restoration of degraded forests seems to be the only sustainable and ethical solution to mitigate the situation.
This may be attained by reconnecting wildlife corridors and forest fragments, which in turn will minimise human-wildlife conflict.
In plantations, mature trees can be periodically removed in patches and native fruit trees be planted to restore the habitat.
With time, entire plantations can be converted into native forests, addressing the problems of macaque conflict and KFD.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB

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