At least 19 people have died from an outbreak of ‘monkey fever’ in India, according to local reports.
Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD), spread by ticks, has struck down 322 people since the killer outbreak was confirmed.
Victims often report a fever or severe bleeding, but it can lead to tremors, mental disturbances or death, if left untreated.
Health officials in Sindhudurg district state the ‘situation is under control’ and cases are believed to be on the decline.
Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), spread by ticks, has struck down 322 people since the killer outbreak was confirmed
But Russian consumer watchdogs Rospotrebnadzor issued a warning about KDF to tourists visiting the area on the east coast of India.
In a report released this week, it said: ‘Laboratory tests confirmed 332 cases of the disease in the district, and 19 cases of that number were lethal.’
These cases stem from between January 2016, when the outbreak was confirmed in Maharashtra state, and last month.
The outbreak was traced back to one village in the district, which has a population of 850,000, but quickly spread to other nearby villages.
Local officials acted quickly to curb the rapid spread of KDF, amid fears the infection could strike hundreds more residents.
More than 50,000 villagers in the Sindhudurg district, a region full of forests, have been vaccinated against the disease, The Times of India reported.
And tick repellents have been distributed to those considered at risk of catching the potentially fatal infection since March 2016.
KFD was first identified in 1957. It now strikes up to 500 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It can’t be spread between humans, and can only be caught by a tick bite or contact with an infected animal, mainly monkeys.
Three regions of southern India are considered endemic – which is when an infection is regularly found in a certain geographical area.
The virus, which kills up to five per cent of people it strikes, is of the Flaviviridae family, which also comprises yellow fever, dengue fever and Zika.
The CDC states: ‘Severe muscle pain with vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms and bleeding problems may occur 3-4 days after initial symptom onset.’
Most patients recover within one and two weeks, but nearly a fifth will go on to experience a ‘second wave of symptoms’, including tremors.