Kerala Reports Second Death Due to Scrub Typhus. All About the Disease, Its Symptoms & Treatment

Kerala reported its second death due to scrub typhus on Sunday after a 38-year-old woman died at the government medical college hospital. A 15-year-old girl was the first to die of the disease in the state three days ago on June 9.

According to authorities, Subitha from Thiruvananthapuram was hospitalized on the morning of June 10. “She was brought here on June 10 but died early this morning. As of now, we don’t have any similar case,” a senior hospital source told PTI.

Following the first death in Varkala, State Health Minister Veena George had directed a special medical team to visit the patient’s native place and the hospital where she was admitted. The minister, in a statement, had said steps will be taken to strengthen guard in the affected areas and destroy the ticks.

What is scrub typhus?

The disease, called chellu pani in the local tongue, is caused by a mite-borne bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. The disease is transmitted by chigger mites, the larval stage, from animals such as rats, squirrels and rabbits, to humans.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most cases of scrub typhus occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia. Anyone living in or travelling to these areas could get infected.

What are the symptoms?

The CDC has stated common symptoms of the disease as fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash. Symptoms begin within 10 days of being bitten. Signs and symptoms may include:

• Fever and chills
• Headache
• Body aches and muscle pain
• A dark, scab-like region at the site of the bite
• Mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Rash.

Severe illness can cause organ failure and bleeding, which can be fatal, as per the CDC. The symptoms can be similar to those of other diseases.

What is the treatment?

Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Antibiotics are most effective if given soon after symptoms begin, the CDC has stated.

No vaccine is available to prevent the disease and the risk can be reduced by avoiding contact with infected chiggers.

When travelling to places where the disease is common, avoid areas with lots of vegetation and brush where chiggers may be found.

(With PTI inputs)

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