Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. Scrub typhus is spread to people when infected chiggers (larval mites) bite them. The common symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and rash. It is a highly infectious disease and has gotten the attention of healthcare professionals due to the unexpected deaths in some parts of India. As per the reports by the officials, at least five people have died in Odisha and nine people in Shimla.
Odisha's Bargarh Chief District Medical and Public Health officer, Sadhu Charan Das informed that two cases out of five were reported from Sohela block while the rest were from Attabira, Bheden, and Barpali blocks of Bargarh district each. There were four other people who were infected but they were treated.
Meanwhile, the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla has been witnessing a rise in patients with symptoms of Scrub typhus infection. According to officials, a total of 295 cases of the infection have been confirmed in the district.
How do people get scrub typhus?
Scrub typhus is spread to people when an infected bite “chigger” bites a healthy person. The infection is not spread from person to person.
How long does typhus last?
According to the CDC, fever due to the typhus infection can last up to 2–3 weeks and illness may become severe if not treated on time. The flea-borne typhus can be fatal in as many as 5% of patients.
What are the symptoms of typhus?
According to doctors of the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of scrub typhus include:
Fever and chills.
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.
Scrub Typhus: Diagnosis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here are a few tests to diagnose scrub typhus infection
Your healthcare provider may ask about your symptoms
They may ask about your recent travel plans
Your healthcare provider may suggest blood tests to look for scrub typhus or other diseases.
According to NIH, diagnosis of scrub typhus includes tests like enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence assay (IFA), immunochromatographic test (ICT), Weil–Felix, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP)
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