Scrub Typhus in Kerala: What is Scrub typhus? Symptoms & treatment; All you must Know
Scrub typhus is caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi and spreads among people from rats, squirrels and rabbits through the bites of infected chiggers.
- Lifestyle News
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Kerala, on June 12, reported the second death caused due to the Scrub typhus disease sprouting in the state. The patient was a 38-year-old woman from Thiruvananthapuram who died at a medical college hospital while undergoing treatment for the disease. "She was brought here on June 10 but died early this morning. As of now, we don’t have any similar case," an official told PTI. Prior to this, the disease also killed a 15-year-old girl in the state three days ago on June 9.
While the serious disease has now turned fatal, let us take a look at what causes Scrub typhus, what are its symptoms and how it can be treated.
What is Scrub Typhus?
The disease Scrub typhus is caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi and spreads among people from rats, squirrels and rabbits through the bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that cases of Scrub Typhus occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia and anyone living in or travelling to areas where Scrub Typhus is found could get infected. Scarily enough, people with severe illness may develop organ failure and bleed, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Scrub Typhus symptoms
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following are the symptoms of Scrub Typhus which can emerge 10 days after being bitten by the larval mites.
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- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Body ache and muscle pain
- A dark, scab-like region at the site of the chigger bite
- Mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Rash
Scrub Typhus treatment
The antibiotic doxycycline is considered the best way to treat the symptoms in infected patients. The advantage of using Doxycycline is that it can be given to patients of every age but it must be given soon after the symptoms begin. CDC says that the patients given Doxycycline usually recover within a few days. However, it is worth noting that there is no vaccine to prevent the disease and the best way to stay safe is to avoid contact with infected chiggers.