The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a significant public announcement, informed that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is progressing towards the development of an improved vaccine against Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD).
KFD, a regional infectious diseasein the Western Ghats region, including states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra, can cause high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, and in some cases, neurological complications in infected people.
What is Kyasanur Forest Disease?
It is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to India's Western Ghats, caused by the Kyasanur Forest disease virus, a flavivirus transmitted by Haemaphysalis spinigera ticks, as per the National Library of Medicine.
As per the ministry, the Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) and ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) are working together to develop a fully indigenous two-dose adjuvanted inactivated vaccine, which will be given 28 days apart.
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As far as the progress is concerned, it has been informed that the vaccine has been successfully developed, and animal challenge and toxicity studies have been completed.
The Health Ministry has also informed that the Phase I human clinical trial has been initiated following approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
What are the signs and symptoms?
As per the CDC, people with KFD usually start showing symptoms three to eight days after being infected with the virus. Some may not have any symptoms at all, while others may have a sudden onset of chills, fever, and headache. Severe muscle ache, vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms, and bleeding can follow three or four days after symptoms begin.
How does it spread?
KFD does not spread from person to person. As per experts, the disease is transmitted to humans through infected tick bites or exposure to an infected animal.
For more information, consult a health expert.
