Despite vaccination drive, 97 cases of monkey fever recorded in Karnataka

Health

The worst affected region is Thirthahalli taluk in Shivamogga district, where 68 cases have been reported.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

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Every year, between November and May, the Karnataka government and its health infrastructure braces itself to respond to the Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also known as ‘Monkey Fever’. The Nodal Officer for KFD in Karnataka, Dr Kiran told TNM on Wednesday that 97 cases of monkey fever have been reported in the state. The worst affected region is Thirthahalli taluk in Shivamogga district, where 68 cases have been reported. Thirthahalli is infamous for its repeated outbreaks of KFD, year after year. Sagar is the next worst-hit region, with 15 cases reported. The remaining 14 cases are from other taluks in Shivamogga and Dakshina Kannada districts. The popular name 'monkey fever' comes from the fact that the virus is transmitted from monkeys to humans, through vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes and fleas. People in rural areas of Karnataka are often exposed to the insects as part of their work, and are at risk of getting infected with the disease. Dr Kiran said that all the 97 patients tested positive are being monitored. Those with high viral load are being shifted to the hospital. He said that since it is a virus, the disease gets aggravated when there are other complications. A patient in Manipal, for example, is currently in the ICU with KFD and is also recovering from a surgery in his kidneys. The Hindu reported on Tuesday that there was a suspected death from KFD in Sagar taluk, as the person died with symptoms of the disease in the KFD endemic area. However, officials said that the deceased's sample had come back negative, and it is likely that he died due to excessive alcoholism. "If we were given a chance to conduct a post-mortem, we might have been able to find out the exact cause of death. However, his blood sample came back negative for KFD," Dr Kiran said. The first few cases of the KFD season were reported by TNM in January this year. There were two confirmed cases of the disease in Shivamogga, even though the local health authorities had taken it upon themselves to vaccinate the local population against the disease. They were admitted in hospital after they were diagnosed with KFD. Read: Despite early vaccination drive, two cases of monkey fever reported in K’taka Why are there nearly 100 cases of KFD despite the vaccination drives? The Kyasanur Forest Disease was discovered in 1957 and there is a vaccine. So why is the disease continuing to make headlines in Karnataka? Dr Kiran said that the health department had worked hard to administer the vaccine to the local population, yet there was hesitation among them to get vaccinated. "Most of the time, the people are supposed to come to the health centre to get vaccinated. However, taking into consideration the seriousness of the disease, we went door-to-door to administer the vaccine. Since many of the people go to work by 10 am, we used to begin knocking on their doors at 7 am." In the neighbouring state of Kerala, the district of Wayanad has begun seeing cases of KFD. Health officials in the state have recently begun asking for thousands of vials of the vaccine for people in Wayanad. However, Karnataka health workers said they are finding it hard to contain the spread of the disease, without support from the local population. Even though they are happy to bring their children in for timely vaccinations, they hesitate to take vaccinations for themselves, Dr Kiran said. "We usually see this when it comes to adult vaccinations. They are often afraid of injections and would rather flee to avoid taking the vaccinations. In fact, the two deaths reported in January this year were because they refused to take the vaccination," Dr Kiran added.

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After months of delay, DK Shivakumar named president of Karnataka Congress

Politics

Siddaramaiah will continue to serve as the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

Theja Ram

After months of delay, the All India Congress Committee finally on Wednesday announced that former Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar will head the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. After intense lobbying for several months, the high command’s announcement comes at a time when the party is on a shaky wicket as it faced a huge setback in Madhya Pradesh. With Jyotiraditya Scindia joining the BJP, it has become imperative for the Congress to ensure other leaders like DK Shivakumar do not leave. Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah will continue to serve as the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly and leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Legislators Eshwar Khandre, Satish Jarkiholi and Saleem Ahammed have been appointed as KPCC Working Presidents. All three members of the party are close associates of Siddaramaiah. The party has also appointed MLC Narayanaswamy, a close associate of DK Shivakumar as the Chief Whip in the Karnataka Legislative Council. Congress MLA from Jewargi Ajay Singh, son of former Chief Minister Dharam Singh has been appointed the Chief Whip in the Assembly. ಎಐಸಿಸಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಸೋನಿಯಾ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರು ನೂತನವಾಗಿ ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾಗಿ @DKShivakumar ಅವರನ್ನು ಕಾರ್ಯಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾಗಿ @eshwar_khandre, @JarkiholiSatish, @SaleemAhmadINC ಅವರನ್ನು ನೇಮಕ ಮಾಡಿ ಆದೇಶ ಹೊರಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.@siddaramaiah ಅವರು ಶಾಸಕಾಂಗ ಪಕ್ಷ ಮತ್ತು ವಿರೋಧ ಪಕ್ಷದ ನಾಯಕರಾಗಿ ಮುಂದುವರೆಯಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ. pic.twitter.com/tzcq3jf4Kr — Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) March 11, 2020 The fight for the KPCC President was between Shivakumar and his most formidable detractor -- Siddaramaiah. In 2018, Dinesh Gundu Rao, a Siddaramaiah loyalist, had been named the party's president. This time around too, Siddaramaiah wanted one of his supporters to become the president. However, party sources told TNM that the high command could not ignore the demands of ‘loyalists’ like DK Shivakumar. It is in order to pacify all factions within the splintered Karnataka Congress, Satish Jarkiholi, Eshwar Khandre and Saleem Ahamed were made Working Presidents. The rivalry between DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah is not new. The first among many instances was when Shivakumar was deliberately kept out of the cabinet in 2013. Shivakumar got Sonia Gandhi to intervene and ensured that he was given the Energy portfolio. The two leaders have been at odds ever since. The rift only grew wider after the Congress and JD(S) forged an alliance in May 2018 after the Karnataka state Assembly election results were announced. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had differences over making Kumaraswamy the Chief Minister. While Shivakumar batted for Kumaraswamy to become the CM, Siddaramaiah remained unhappy.  But after suffering losses in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls, DK Shivakumar had the upper hand to convince the high command that the party needed new leadership. Siddaramaiah had resigned as the Congress Legislature Party Chief after the party suffered a massive defeat in the December 2019 bye-elections. The then KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao had also resigned on December 9, 2019, stating that both leaders were accepting moral responsibility for the party’s failures. Several leaders from Siddaramaiah's previously loyal votebank (minorities, OBCs and Dalits), especially people from the Kuruba community have veered away from the Congress in recent years. With no other strong leader to ensure the grunt work is done, the party picked Shivakumar, who has proved an able troubleshooter in the past.   Siddaramaiah had resigned as the Congress Legislature Party Chief after the party suffered a massive defeat in the December 2019 bye-elections. The then KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao had also resigned on December 9, 2019, stating that both leaders were accepting moral responsibility for the party’s failures.

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Mindtree employee who has COVID-19 did not visit office, had contact with 12 people

Coronavirus

The Karnataka Health Department said the 50-year-old patient and his family members have been quarantined in Bengaluru.

Soumya Chatterjee

PTI

In the wake of one Bengaluru-based techie working for Mindtree testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), the company in a statement, has said that he had not come in touch with any of his colleagues. Mindtree said the 50-year-old techie had proactively self-isolated himself upon return from a trip to the US via London and neither visited any of the company facilities nor met any of his colleagues. Officials in the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department had incidentally said that only 12 persons had come in touch with the Mindtree employee and they are being screened.  According to Mindtree statement, the patient is doing well and has been kept in the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases. His family members have also been quarantined by the Karnataka Health Department, the statement said. The statement by MIndtree Chief People Officer Pranesh Rao reads, “I would like to inform you that one of our Mindtree Minds, upon return from an overseas trip, has been tested positive for COVID-19 today (Tuesday). The Mindtree Mind, along with family members, is under medical supervision and quarantined by the State Health Department. The Mind is recuperating well and on the way to recovery.” Further the statement by Rao said, “We have communicated a series of advisones to Mindtree World. I would like to reiterate that the health and safety of Mindtree Minds and their families is of utmost importance to us. We are following WHO (World Health Organisation) guidelines for workplace safety.” They said they have made arrangements for sanitization of all high touch points in their offices and have kept sanitizers at lift landing/receptions and other common areas. Infrared thermometers have also been made available. The other three COVID-19 positive cases in the state are a techie working for Dell who had returned from Austin in the US, and his wife, daughter (13).  The State Health Department said that the Dell employee had come in contact with 2666 people.  

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Mindtree and Dell employees among 4 COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru, companies confirm

Coronavirus

The 46-year-old Dell employee had returned from Austin via Dubai while the 50-year-old Mindtree techie had returned from the US via London recently.

TNM Staff

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Two tech companies in Bengaluru have confirmed that they have a case of coronavirus each among their employees. Dell Technologies and Mindtree Limited have confirmed a case each – with the techies recently having traveled to other countries which had reported cases of COVID-19. While the 46-year-old Dell employee had gone to Austin, Texas in the US and had come back to India via Dubai on March 1, the Mindtree employee had also returned from the US via London. The latter is 50 years old and has been placed under quarantine and medical supervision. The Dell techie’s wife (47) and 13-year-old daughter also tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. The families of these people have been placed in isolation, with their health being monitored. In the aftermath of this, Dell has asked its employees in one Bengaluru office to work from home as a precaution. The employees who have been asked to work from home worked on the same floor as the affected employee. “We have confirmed that one of our Bangalore team members based in the 4th floor of Dell 4 builing, Annexe Wing, Inner Ring Road Domlur, has been tested positive for COVID-19… Out of the abundance of caution, all team members based on the fourth floor of Dell 4 building, annexe wing will work from home for the next 14 days i.e., until March 24,” an email from Dell to its employees read. Further, the email also asked other employees to work from home if they could so as to reduce footfall in office. The fourth floor, where the affected person was working, is also being sanitized, the company said. Mindtree meanwhile told The Hindu that their employee who tested positive for COVID-19 isolated himself when he returned from his overseas trip, and did not come to office or visit colleagues. “All measures are being taken to provide the best of medical care to him and his family,” Paneesh Rao, chief people officer at Mindtree, said. The Dell employee had gone to work for two days before he was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, where he eventually tested positive for the virus. Upon contact tracing, Karnataka government officials said that he had come into primary and secondary contact with 2,666 people since he returned from his US trip. Dell also released the following statement: “Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees and communities where we operate. We can confirm two employees of Dell India were tested for the COVID-19 virus following their return home from the United States – including a visit to our headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. One employee tested negative; another tested positive and has since been placed in quarantine. We continue to take steps to protect Dell Technologies team members and communities by following the health and safety guidelines from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control, and coordinating with local health officials. The team members in Bangalore who may have come into contact with the affected employees are working remotely. Dell’s local environment, health and safety team is in contact with these team members to closely monitor their well-being. All the team members. who are set up for work from home are encouraged to do so as part of our Connected Workplace policy. This helps us reduce foot traffic and congregation in buildings for those whose jobs require them to be in a Dell facility. To help keep sites worldwide safe, we have increased the frequency of deep cleaning and sanitization of all our workspaces and conference rooms.”

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Watch: Thousands of chicken buried alive in Karnataka over coronavirus fears

Coronavirus

The move was triggered after a fall in prices over rumours that the disease is caused by eating chicken.

TNM Staff

Reports of cases of coronavirus have led to a fall in chicken prices due to unfounded fears that the transmission of the virus is somehow linked to poultry. Reacting to this, a farmer in Gokak in Belagavi district buried truckloads of chickens alive. Najeer Ahmed Makandar loaded nearly 6000 chickens into a truck before dumping them into a large pit at Nulsoor in Gokak on Monday. He cited massive losses for his decision to kill the birds stating that earlier, his chickens were selling at Rs 50-70 per kg. According to him, the price had dropped as low as Rs 5-10, Times of India reported.  Najeer shot a video of his act of burying the chickens in the pit. The video is now being shared widely on social media as rumours that culling stops the spread of the virus. Najeer is the owner of a poultry farm in Gokak. A dejected farmer Nazeer Makandar from Lolasoora village in #Gokak, #Belagavi decided to bury #chicken from his #poultry farm, following steep fall in price due to #CoronavirusOutbreak. @DeccanHerald @CMofKarnataka @mani1972ias #Coronavid19 Nazeer Makandar pic.twitter.com/OExEPM39ay — Niranjan Kaggere (@nkaggere) March 10, 2020 In another incident, 9500 chicks were buried alive at Bangarpet taluk in Kolar district on a farm owned by Ramachandra Reddy, Deccan Herald reported. In this case too, the owner and the operator of the farm - Satish from Bengaluru - cited losses of up to Rs 20,000 for the decision to bury the chickens. Ever since the spread of the coronavirus was reported, rumours are circulating that the consumption of chicken could lead to spread of the virus.  One such viral message circulating in WhatsApp groups in Bengaluru reads: “High alert: Chicken infected from corona virus found in Bangalore today, kindly circulate the message and avoid consumption of chicken. Spread to your dear ones.” However, health professionals have repeatedly said that the virus is spread via air droplets from infected individuals or carriers (who are infected with the virus but do not show any symptoms of being unwell themselves).

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Amid rise of coronavirus cases in Bengaluru, KSRTC premier bookings dip by 20%

Transport

While the slump in bookings began on March 3, it was on March 8 that bookings in the state reduced by 4,000 in a day.

TNM Staff

The fears of contracting coronavirus have affected ridership in Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses, particularly on its inter-state services. The transport organisation reported a 20% reduction in bookings of premier air-conditioned bus services.  As per officials, the reduction in bookings and rise in cancellations started from March 3, the day when the Karnataka government confirmed that a Hyderabad techie who works in Bengaluru had contracted coronavirus.  An official told The Hindu that buses to cities in neighbouring Kerala including Kottayam, Ernakulam, Calicut and Thiruvananthapuram were among the most affected. Buses to Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Pune and Mumbai also saw a decline in demand. The official said that since most of these journeys are long and booked in advance, there was a 20% drop in passenger traffic. While the slump in bookings began on March 3, it was on March 8 that bookings in the state reduced to 17,000 in a day, Deccan Herald reported. Usually, KSRTC receives about 21,000 bookings per day but after the dip, the bookings have not yet increased.  Both KSRTC and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have been sanitising their buses since the case of the Hyderabad techie emerged. Officials claimed that all cancellations are not linked to the coronavirus but confirmed that the decline in bookings was consistent with the dates of the virus reported in the state. However, South Western Railways has not reported any major decline in bookings or rise in cancellations due to the spread of the virus. On Tuesday, the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department confirmed that there were 4 cases of coronavirus in Bengaluru. The four cases are: a techie who returned from the United States of America, his wife, his daughter, and another unrelated man. The health department is tracing as many as 2,678 people who may have come in primary or secondary contact with the four people who tested positive for the virus. The railways too seemed to be unaffected as on Tuesday with Bengaluru division officials stating that there was no change in the bookings.

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U.S. tops grim coronavirus milestone: 1,000 cases

The unofficial tally is being compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

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