Monkey fever claims one more life in Karnataka, takes death toll in state to 4 since Jan
Bengaluru, Feb 26: A 57-year-old woman succumbed to Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, in Shivamogga district, taking the death toll due to the virus in Karnataka to four since January this year, Health officials said on Monday. She hailed from Uttara Kannada district, one of the regions affected by the virus.
“One more death due to KFD was reported yesterday (Sunday) night. A 57-year-old woman died in Shivamogga. She was admitted in ICU for the past 20 days and was on ventilator support. She had multiple issues. Total death toll in the state due to this virus has now reached four,” a senior health official said.
According to the latest data shared by the health department, a total of 4,641 tests have been done from January one to February 25, of which positive cases stand at 120. As many as 95 people have been discharged. As on date, there are 22 active cases.
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The first death due to KFD this year was reported from Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district on January eight wherein an 18-year-old girl succumbed to the virus. The other two deaths were reported in Uttara Kannada and Chikkamagaluru districts. Earlier this month, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao held a high-level meeting with legislators and officers of the districts which reported an outbreak of the disease. The state government is also in talks with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for bringing out an effective vaccination, officials said.
According to officials, KFD spreads due to bites of ticks that generally survive on monkeys. This tick bites humans which causes the infection. Humans also contract the disease by coming in contact with cattle bitten by ticks.
The authorities are carrying out door-to-door awareness programs about the precautions to be taken. Those living in and around the forest area need to be more careful as they are at high risk of contracting the disease, they said.
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Among developing states, TN leads with growth of 11.19 per cent, no thanks to BJP: Udhayanidhi
Thanjavur/Pudukottai (PTI): Tamil Nadu currently stands as the number one state among India’s developing regions, boasting a significant growth rate of 11.19 per cent, despite a stark lack of support from the BJP-led union government, Deputy Chief Minister Udhyanidhi Stalin said on Sunday.
"The central administration has failed to provide requested projects or the funds rightfully due to the state. This neglect reached a peak in the last Union Budget, where the name "Tamil Nadu" was entirely absent, with no new projects allocated to the region," Udhayanidhi told the gathered crowd at Peravurani in Thanjavur.
He also accused the central government of "attempting to undermine" the state's cultural identity by re-imposing a 'Three-Language Policy' and pushing Hindi and Sanskrit into the territory.
"While these threats loom, the opposition leader, Edappadi Palaniswami, remains silent. Instead of questioning these injustices, he has formed an alliance with the BJP, effectively facilitating the entry of these policies into Tamil Nadu," the Deputy Chief Minister added.
According to him, the upcoming assembly election presents a critical opportunity for the people to respond to this continuous neglect.
"It is time for the voters to decide whether to support the Tamil Nadu team or a Delhi team that ignores the state’s developmental needs and linguistic heritage," he added.
Earlier, speaking at Viralimalai in Pudukottai, he argued that this election "is a war between the Delhi Team and the Tamil Nadu Team".
"We are the Tamil Nadu Team...we must send Delhi Team back to where they came from with a decisive win," he said.
He urged the electorate to break the "remote control" Delhi uses to try and control Tamil Nadu.
Udhayanidhi attacked the opposition, specifically targeting incumbent MLA and AIADMK candidate C Vijayabaskar by calling him a "drama company actor", who is part of a "slave group" being threatened by the CBI and ED.
The deputy CM listed the infrastructure and welfare achievements of the "Dravidian Model" government, specifically mentioning quality road works worth Rs 25 crore for 30 km and drinking water connections worth Rs 17 crore in the region.
He also claimed that the DMK revived the laptop scheme for college students after the AIADMK abandoned it in 2019.
Looking toward a second term, he promised that the government would increase the women's entitlement amount to Rs 2,000 and build Rs 10 lakh houses under the 'Kalaignar Kanavu Illam' initiative for those without homes.
Invoking his political lineage, he told the local cadre to set a high target, noting that while the party lost the seat by a narrow margin previously, this time DMK must win by a margin of "50,000 votes to drive away the slave group".
