Bengaluru, Oct 16 (IANS): Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao met with Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) Director General D. Rajiv Bahl in New Delhi to discuss the progress of the vaccine for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as the monkeypox or monkey fever.

The Health Minister also requests ICMR's necessary support for accelerating KFD vaccine development.

Accompanied by senior officials from the Health Department, he sought financial and technical assistance from the ICMR to ensure the timely availability of the vaccine. The first phase of trials for the KFD vaccine has shown promising results, and the second phase is set to begin soon. Human trials are scheduled for April 2025, and the vaccine is expected to be available for public use by 2026, Minister Rao stated.

During the meeting, the Karnataka Minister emphasised the importance of ICMR's support in speeding up this process.

"The ICMR Director General expressed appreciation for Karnataka's ‘Anaemia-Free Karnataka’ initiative, particularly for its efforts in conducting anaemia tests for students in government schools and colleges. He also suggested expanding the programme in line with the Government of India's 'Anemia-Free India 2.0' initiative," he stated.

The Director General showed interest in the innovative technologies being used by the Karnataka Health Department to control dengue and discussed the possibility of implementing these measures in other states, Minister Rao stated.

The meeting also focused on future collaborations in public health research to enhance healthcare delivery. Principal Secretary of the Karnataka Health Department, Harsha Gupta, and NHM MD, Naveen Bhatt, were also present at the meeting.