Odisha Agriculture Secy Arabinda Padhee tests Scrub Typhus positive; undergoing treatment

Bhubaneswar: Agriculture Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee tested positive for Scrub Typhus. His blood sample was sent for testing to Capital Hospital here two days ago and the report showed positive today. He is undergoing treatment in his home and his health condition is stable now.

Except for two to three districts in Odisha, the entire State has been engulfed by Scrub Typhus. The fatal disease has spread not only to rural areas. People in urban localities are also suffering from the infectious disease. Blood samples of 22,077 persons have been tested so far, of which at least 2,820 persons in the State were found infected by it, Director of Health Dr. Niranjan Mishra said.

A Central team of senior doctors and health experts has already visited Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, and Bolangir districts and reviewed the Scrub Typhus situation. Since 2019, testing to detect the disease is being done in Odisha and the team has advised to escalate the daily total number of tests.

Besides, the team will soon submit a report to the Central Government about its findings.

Several private hospitals in the State are conducting rapid method tests and ELISA testing alone is appropriate for the purpose of detecting a Scrub Typhus infection, the Health Director added.