Scrub typhus death toll reaches 26

SHIMLA: As the toll of scrub typhus has shot up to 26 and 836 are down with the disease, close to last year’s toll of 28, a Central team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is shortly arriving in Himachal to look into the reasons behind the rising mortality rate among the patients, which is a preventable disease.

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 30

As the toll of scrub typhus has shot up to 26 and 836 are down with the disease, close to last year’s toll of 28, a Central team from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is shortly arriving in Himachal to look into the reasons behind the rising mortality rate among the patients, which is a preventable disease.

A 62-year-old man from Anni, who was under treatment at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, here succumbed to scrub typhus today. With this, the death toll reached 16 in the IGMC while seven new cases of scrub typhus tested positive, taking the number to 510 patients, said Dr Ramesh Chand, Senior Medical Superintendent, IGMC. Similarly, one more death was reported from Dr Rajinder Prasad Medical College, Tanda, increasing the toll to 10, said Dr Rakesh Bhardwaj, state surveillance officer.

As many as 836 patients had tested positive and the number was rising as all district hospitals had started screening of patients, he added.

As the state Health Department remained clueless over the exact reasons behind the rising toll, Union Health Minister JP Nadda has deputed the NCDC team that is likely to visit Himachal in a day or two.

State Health Secretary Prabodh Saxena reviewed the scrub typhus situation in the state in which chief medical officers (CMOs) were directed to seek the support of ASHA and Aanganwadi workers to distribute pamphlets that make villagers aware about the measures like wearing proper clothes, covering hand, feet and arms while working in the field and cutting grass.

The review meeting took place after The Tribune exposed lack of preventive measures to educate the villagers about the disease. The villagers were asked to wash the exposed body areas and take bath after working in the field, said Dr Rakesh.

Director, Health Services, Dr Baldev Thakur said diagnosis facilities had been upgraded in district hospitals and doctors had been asked to treat and monitor fever patients for scrub typhus symptoms. Private practitioners were being sensitised about the treatment and patients were being given free medicines in the hospitals, he added.