Kyasanur forest disease, or KFD, is a tick-borne viral hemorrhagic fever which is endemic to South Asia. The virus which causes the disease belongs to the family Flaviviridae, which also includes yellow fever and dengue fever. A number of animals are thought to be reservoir hosts for the disease, including porcupines, rats, squirrels, mice, and shrews, though the actual transmitter of the disease is the forest tick known as Haemaphysalis spinigera; humans can contract the disease from the bite of Haemaphysalis nymphs. The disease is also known as Monkey Fever.
