Scrub typhus scare: Central team visits Odisha’s Sundargarh

Sundargarh: In view of the rise in scrub typhus cases in Odisha, a central team visited Sundargarh to examine the situation in the district.

A six-member team also included two medical experts from Odisha. The team including Dr. Sameer Gulati, Professor, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi; Dr. Tushar N Nale, Public Health Specialist, National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi; Dr. Dhara Shah, Assistant Director (Microbiology), National Center for Disease Control, New Delhi attended a review meeting at the conference hall of Sundargarh CDMO.

The outbreak of scrub typhus created an alarming situation in several districts of Odisha in the past few weeks. In Sundargarh, the cases are higher with 292 infectees as of Wednesday.

The first scrub typhus patient was identified in Sundargarh district in January this year. Subsequently, the infection rate reduced gradually. However, the number of cases increased in the district after August.

The district recorded 42 new cases in the last three days. On Thursday and Friday, 29 cases were reported from the district.

Scrub typhus is transmitted by the bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The most common symptoms of the disease include fever. The chigger bites can cause itchy, inflamed bumps on the skin called ‘eschar’. It is one of the infections if left untreated, can have fatal consequences.