S1 Appendix -

Table A: Details of the current management practices recommended for preventing human cases of KFD in the Western Ghats area of India. Current management practices undertaken to prevent human cases of KFD were identified based on a number of guidance documents and sources originating from the National Centre for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services: a guidance bulletin (32) and a manual of KFD (33). The management type indicates whether the measure targets reservoir hosts, vectors, or human hosts and which barrier to human spillover the management addresses (see Fig 1 in the main paper). We detail the main assumptions underpinning the management advice in terms of how such practice would reduce human transmission via infected tick bites and review the empirical support for the assumptions made. We detail responses from key informant interviews undertaken within the KFD endemic area, relating to how the current management recommendations for preventing human cases of KFD are being applied in the field in order to illustrate challenges or misconceptions associated with management practices. Finally, based on the balance of supporting empirical evidence, we recommend whether the current management practice is justified or could be improved. Table B: Main thematic analysis results summaries based on interviews with district and taluka managers regarding their experiences and perceptions about current KFD management in the Western Ghats area of India. Table C: Details of the designation of participants in the key informant interviews used to provide key quotes on the current application of management practices for KFD in the field. Table D: Examples of key ecological questions posed to researchers by practitioners in the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons for human KFD cases. We highlight the current knowledge gap that needs to be addressed in order to address each question and whether empirical data are currently being collected as part of the MonkeyFeverRisk project to provide evidence to fill this knowledge gap. KFD, Kyasanur Forest Disease.

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