Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced that a new vaccine for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is likely to be available by 2026. During a meeting with the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in Delhi on Tuesday, the minister shared that the vaccine, currently under development by Hyderabad-based Indian Immunologicals Ltd. with ICMR’s guidance, is progressing through clinical trials.
The first phase of trials has already shown positive results, and the second phase involving macaque monkeys will begin soon. Human trials are scheduled to start in April 2025, with the vaccine expected to be ready for public use by 2026. To expedite the process, the Karnataka government has committed to providing financial and logistical support to ICMR.
Previously, efforts to develop a vaccine for KFD were unsuccessful as the earlier version proved ineffective. The new vaccine aims to prevent deaths caused by KFD, a tick-borne viral disease that primarily affects residents of forested areas in Karnataka. The state government is actively covering the costs of the vaccine’s development to ensure faster delivery and public availability.
Karnataka Seeks Improved Healthcare Support from Centre
During his visit to Delhi, Mr. Gundu Rao also met Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Wednesday and submitted a three-page memorandum requesting an increase in salaries for doctors and nurses employed under the National Health Mission (NHM). The memorandum highlighted the challenge of recruiting healthcare professionals for rural areas due to low salaries and called for better remuneration to make these positions more attractive.
The memorandum further urged the Union government to increase the number of beneficiaries covered under the Ayushman Bharat Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-JAY) health insurance scheme. According to the minister, Karnataka’s state government provides free healthcare to 1.15 crore below-poverty-line (BPL) cardholders under the scheme, while the Union government currently recognizes only 69 lakh beneficiaries. The state has requested additional funding to cover the remaining beneficiaries and ease the financial burden on its health system.
Additionally, the memorandum called for the inclusion of critical surgical procedures, such as spinal deformity corrections in children, under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. It also proposed that funding for supportive therapies be considered under the National Policy for Rare Diseases, particularly for patients suffering from conditions like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The Karnataka government aims to work closely with the Union government to address healthcare challenges and ensure access to critical services for the population, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged areas.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)