Sociodemographic factors associated with Kyasanur forest disease in India - a retrospective study

Objectives

Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne disease in India affecting humans and two local non-human primate species. A critical knowledge gap in the scientific literature is the lack of information on how people's sociodemographic factors influence KFD occurrence.

Methods

We analyzed available data on KFD from three data sources: (a) 104 peer-reviewed articles using keyword searches on PubMed Central and Google Scholar, (b) 116 Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases reports, and (c) an acute febrile illness surveillance data set on KFD from a report by the government of India. We performed statistical analyses to calculate the prevalence of KFD by state and differences in KFD cases by sex and age group.

Results

All three data sets used indicate that KFD cases and deaths have occurred predominantly in the 15-64 years age group (literature: 87% cases and 95% deaths, Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases: 78% cases and 78% deaths, acute febrile illness: 96% cases [no breakdown for acute febrile illness death data]). Data reporting varies across states and is non-standardized.

Conclusions

The inconsistent reporting of sociodemographic data on KFD in India has created a gap in our understanding of its impact on different social groups. Collecting and reporting data on sociodemographic factors is critical to understanding the epidemiology of KFD and designing effective public health interventions.