Chikkamagaluru: There is a sense of heaviness in the air and the pristine hills of Chikkamagaluru seem to be mourning. Yes, scores of monkeys are being found dead in the forest unleashing a sense of fear of monkey fever or Kyasanuru Forest Disease (KFD). If the fear turned out to be a reality then it is first time in the history of the district that Monkey fear has entered the district.

The workers of the coffee plantations have been complaining of body ache, head ache and fever. This is causing panic in the region as these are considered to be the symptoms of monkey fever.

The cases of monkey fever were so far confined only to Theerthahalli, Shivamogga and Khanapura of Belagavi district. But now the death of monkeys and cases of fever among coolie workers has left the local residents in a state of anxiety.

Dasarahalli in Chikkamagaluru and Mullaiahnagiri areas have experienced explainable deaths of monkeys. The monkey fever is said to be a disease that strikes in summer. The vector for the disease transmission is a forest tick and the humans contact infection from bite of nymphs of the tick.

The doctors who have inspected the carcass of the monkeys have said that the coat of the dead monkeys were intact and that there were no ticks found, which means the case of monkey fever can be relatively ruled out. However, the conditions prevailing among the plantation workers points at the possibility of the KFD having taken them into its grip.

As of now, the people of Chikkamagaluru have their fingers crossed in a prayer to award themselves from the fever.