Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD)

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is making steady progress towards the development of an improved vaccine against Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), a neglected but serious tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever endemic to India’s Western Ghats region.

According to officials, the vaccine candidate has been successfully developed, with animal challenge and toxicity studies completed. In a major milestone, GLP-grade vaccine material has been manufactured, and a Phase I human clinical trial has been initiated after receiving approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).

Kyasanur Forest Disease primarily affects parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra, posing a recurring public health challenge in forested and rural areas. The disease is caused by the Kyasanur Forest Disease virus, a flavivirus transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Haemaphysalis spinigera ticks.

Commonly known as “monkey fever”, KFD was first identified in 1957 in Karnataka and has since gradually spread to neighbouring states. The disease often leads to outbreaks among forest workers, farmers and people living near forest fringes, with symptoms ranging from fever and haemorrhagic manifestations to neurological complications.

Health experts say the development of an improved vaccine could significantly strengthen disease prevention and outbreak control efforts in the Western Ghats, addressing long-standing gaps in protection against this region-specific neglected tropical disease.