Spurt In Cases Of Scrub Typhus In Western Odisha; Know The Disease

Bhubaneswar: Cases of scrub typhus, a bacterial infection caused by the bite of infected chiggers or larval mites, is seeing a spurt in western Odisha with at least 50 patients admitted to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (VIMSAR) in Burla in Odisha’s Sambalpur district in the past one month.

Two cases are being detected daily on an average.

The number of patients has been higher this year compared to previous years, VIMSAR Superintendent Dr Lalmohan Nayak told TOI.

Dr Shankar Ramchandani, an Assistant Professor at VIMSAR, said the rise in number of patients was due to the availability of test facility at VIMSAR now.

“VIMSAR did not have the diagnosis facility two years ago. Many people are infected with the disease every year. However, due to the unavailability of the test facility, cases were underreported,” Dr Ramchandani told TOI.

The disease

Scrub typhus is a zoonotic disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is also known as bush typhus. The infection spreads to people through the bite of infected chiggers (larval mites).

How does it spread?

Infected chiggers usually come in contact with humans in forested areas, grasslands and farmlands. Mites in pets, rodents and other animals can also spread it to humans.

Symptoms

A dark scar develops on the skin where the patient is bitten. The symptoms usually start showing within 10-12 days of being bitten. These include fever and chills, headache, body aches, rashes and muscle pain.

Patients also develop joint pains characteristic of chikungunya. The infection can lead to respiratory distress, inflammation of the brain and lungs, kidney failure and then multi-organ failure. If not treated early, it can result in death.

Diagnosis

It can be diagnosed in the laboratory with serology, PCR and ELISA tests.

Is there a vaccine for scrub typhus?

No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus.

Treatment

A patient is usually treated with the antibiotic doxycycline.