Kalpetta: One person died of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), commonly known as monkey fever, in Kerala’s Wayanad district. The deceased was identified as Tirunelli Appappara native Suneesh. According to reports, Suneesh got infected with monkey fever from Karnataka.

Dead monkeys are more likely to spread the disease as the carrier insects would move out of the body soon after the death.

It is also reported that the virus spreads through parasitic ticks which latch on to monkeys and the virus is then transmitted to through tick bites on humans. It was first reported in the country from Kyasanur forests in Shivamogga district in 1957 and therefore the disease was named KFD.

Earlier in 2015, 102 cases were reported from Wayanad district and 11 patients died due to monkey fever. The first outbreak in the district was in 2013 when a single case was reported.

Earlier, on January 24, the Wayanad district emergency hospital confirmed a 35-year-old man from Thirunelli tribal hamlet of Mananthavady taluk, had been affected by the disease.

A 27-year-old man from Thonikkadavu colony was also shifted to the government medical college in Kozhikode after suspecting monkey fever. Both of them are suspected of having contracted the disease from villages in Karnataka.