Daijiworld News Network - Sullia (GA)

Sullia, Feb 3: Monkey fever is slowly taking a grip over the villages of Yennemajal and Yenekal near Balpa here.  While speaking to the media, the taluk chief medical officer said that lab reports have confirmed that a total number of 13 persons have been affected with monkey fever.

Earlier the blood samples of 38 persons from both the villages were sent to the laboratory at Shimoga for test wherein 13 were confirmed to affected with the monkey fever.  All of them have already been admitted to the Sullia Public Health Centre.

The earlier reports had stated that only 2 out of the 18 were affected with monkey fever.  However, 3 more positive cases from Yennemajal were added thereafter, raising the total number to 5.  But the latest report confirmed another 8 persons have been suffering from the same problem.

In the meantime, some women of the locality who had gone to the reserve forest of Yenekal - Subrahmanya spotted the carcass of a monkey. The news was passed on to the concerned officials.  But when the team of local medical officers and gram panchayat members reached the spot, the carcass was missing.  It is suspected that the wild boar might have eaten the carcass.

On the other hand so far 6 monkeys have been found dead at Bilinele, which is close to Subrahmanya but comes under the jurisdiction of Puttur taluk.  So far more than 1,000 vaccinations have been given by the local PHC.

Special Camp at Devargadde:

A special clinic has been opened in the Devargadde anganwadi centre as precautionary measure.  A total of 66 persons took the vaccine on Thursday.  The taluk medical officer has appealed the people to vaccinate themselves.