Bhubaneswar, Feb. 8 -- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has made significant progress in developing an improved vaccine to combat Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), a tick-borne viral infection that continues to pose public health challenges in parts of the Western Ghats.

KFD is a region-specific disease affecting several states, including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and Maharashtra. In response to a request from the Karnataka government, ICMR initiated efforts to develop a more effective and reliable vaccine to strengthen disease prevention in vulnerable areas.

The vaccine development programme is being carried out jointly by Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) and the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV). The col...