MCQ of the Day: 24 October 2026

Answer: A. Flaviviridae. Fever with haemorrhagic features in a forest worker from the Western Ghats of Karnataka during the dry season (roughly November to May), preceded by monkey deaths, is classic for Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD, "monkey fever"), first recognised in Shivamogga in 1957. KFD virus is a tick-borne flavivirus of the same family as dengue and Japanese encephalitis viruses, transmitted mainly by nymphs of the hard tick Haemaphysalis spinigera. Monkeys act as amplifying hosts, while humans are dead-end hosts. Some patients have a biphasic course with a second, neurological phase. RT-PCR is used early and IgM ELISA later; management is supportive, and a formalin-inactivated vaccine is offered in endemic areas.
B. Nairoviridae includes Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, spread by Hyalomma ticks and reported mainly from Gujarat and Rajasthan.
C. Togaviridae includes chikungunya virus, an alphavirus spread by Aedes mosquitoes.
D. Arenaviridae includes Lassa virus, spread by rodent excreta in West Africa.