Scrub Typhus
According to a new study conducted in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, every millimetre increase in rainfall could lead to a 0.5 to 0.7 per cent rise in monthly scrub typhus cases.
About Scrub Typhus:
- It is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi.
- It is transmitted through infected mites.
- Symptoms
- The symptoms typically include fever, headache, body ache and sometimes a rash.
- In severe cases, the infection can lead to respiratory distress, brain and lung inflammation, kidney failure and multi-organ failure, ultimately resulting in death.
- Several factors like vector abundance, climatic factors, exposures like farming and owning domestic animals, outdoor activities and sanitation, affect its prevalence.
- This disease is more prevalent in cooler months.
- In Northeast India, cases of scrub typhus occur from July to November in Manipur, July to October in Sikkim and September to November in Darjeeling.
- It will not spread from person to person.
- Treatment: Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age.
- There is no vaccine available for this disease.
Key facts about Typhus fever
- Typhus fevers are a group of diseases caused by bacteria that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
- Epidemic typhus: It is caused due to Rickettsia prowazeki and it is spread to people through contact with infected body lice.
- Scrub typhusis: It caused due to Orientia tsutsugamushi and spread by chiggers.
- Murine typhus: It is caused due to Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas. It occurs in tropical and subtropical climates around the world