KATHMANDU, JANUARY 14

Chitwan reports four deaths from scrub typhus in the current fiscal year; one local and three outside the district.

According to the Health Office, Chitwan, four deaths from scrub typhus have been reported in the current fiscal year, with one occurring within the district and the remaining three from outside the district.

The office's Vector Control Inspector, Ram KC, stated that, in the current fiscal year, there have been 163 confirmed cases of scrub typhus out of 3,254 tests. Among the infected individuals, four succumbed to the disease caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi.

Of the infected cases, 88 are from within Chitwan, while the rest are from other districts. In the last fiscal year, 519 cases of scrub typhus were identified through tests conducted on 3,485 individuals who visited district-based hospitals for treatment. All the infected individuals recovered following treatment.

Scrub typhus bacteria do not directly transmit to humans but infect mites found in vegetation. The infected mites, primarily cigar mites, can transmit the disease to other animals and humans.

Symptoms of scrub typhus include severe fever, reddish eyes, coughing, vomiting, stomach pain, loose bowels, breathing difficulties, joint and muscle pain, skin rashes, and sometimes the appearance of a black post at the site of the bite.

Similarly, since July 17, the number of reported dengue cases in the district is 1,615 following 21,298 tests. One death from the disease has been reported, and it occurred outside Chitwan.