35 test positive for scrub typhus at Shimla hospital

Tribune News Service

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Shimla, July 30
Thirty-five people have tested positive for scrub typhus at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC). “We have so far tested 297 samples for scrub typhus. Out these, 35 have tested positive,” said Dr Praveen Bhatia, Deputy Medical Superintendent.
He said, “At the IGMC, around 300 scrub typhus patients are treated every year. Most of the cases are reported in the June-October period. Mostly, people contract this disease while working in the fields. The disease is caused by a mite, normally present in the grass.”
“While working in the fields during the monsoons, people should wear gumboots, gloves and full-sleeve clothes. They should take bath and change clothes after returning home,” Dr Bhatia said.
Last year, at least 10 persons died of the disease, with four deaths each recorded in the districts of Shimla and Solan. According to doctors, people should rush to a nearby health facility if they have fever while working in teh fields and immediately take the required medicines.