43 cases of scrub typhus in Mandi

Tribune News Service

Mandi, September 7

After dengue, the rise in the cases of scrub typhus in Mandi district has now set alarm bells ringing for the health authorities. As of now, as many as 43 cases have been reported. 

Sources said the Mandi zonal hospital lacked screening facility and test kits to detect the virus. Owing to this, patients are not receiving timely treatment. 

They added that the hospital authorities were already struggling hard to check dengue outbreak in the district. As many as 236 dengue cases had been reported so far. Now the outbreak of scrub typhus had  aggravated the situation for the health authorities. 

Mandi Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Jeeva Nand Thakur said the spread of dengue, scrub typhus and malaria could be prevented by adopting some preventive measures. It was important to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in order to check the breeding of mosquitoes. 

He urged people to ensure cleanliness in their surrounding areas and eat fresh food as stale meal affected the immune system. 

The CMO said they were making all efforts to make arrangements for the screening of scrub typhus on the hospital premises. He said the samples of some suspected patients were taken on Friday.

He urged the residents of the district not to panic and rather immediately visit the hospital in case of any symptom. 

He said the hospital authorities were providing free treatment to those suffering from dengue and scrub typhus.

What is scrub typhus

Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is a disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The most common symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash.  The symptoms of scrub typhus usually begin within 10 days of being bitten.

Signs and symptoms

• Fever, chills and headache
• Body aches and muscle pain
• A dark, scab-like region at the site of the chigger bite (also known as eschar)
• Mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Rash