Goa Health minister to visit monkey fever-hit villages

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane will soon visit the villages affected by 'monkey fever' in Sattari taluka, which claimed two lives last week.
"I would be personally visiting Sattari taluka, which also happens to be my constituency, for creating awareness about the monkey fever disease," Rane told PTI after chairing a high-level meeting here today.
While two women died during treatment at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, several people remained admitted in different government-run hospitals in the state since the recent outbreak of the fever in Sattari taluka and surrounding areas.
Monkey Fever, also known as Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), has been prevalent in rural areas of Goa since the last five years.

Rane said though Health authorities have provided enough doses to prevent the KFD, locals are not taking the medicines regularly.
"You have to take three doses as a preventive measure against KFD. But people miss two doses after taking the first one. They have to be educated that complete course needs to be taken," the minister said, adding that there is no shortage of medicines.
According to a Helath department official, the Goa government has set up a centre at Valpoi in Sattari taluka for suspected KFD patients. The official said that the centre this year tested 422 samples of which 75 turned to be positive for the disease.