CHITWAN: As many as 37 cases of Scrub Typhus have been detected in Chitwan district recently.

District Public Health Office Chitwan’s Kit control inspector Ram Kumar KC informed that the infection was detected during check up in hospitals in Chitwan district.

Ram Kumar KC shared out of 109 suspicious patients 37 were tested positive for the Scrub Typhus.

KC further said, out of 37 detected cases of Scrub typhus, 18 were found in Bharatpur Hospital, 16 in Ratnanagar Bakulahar hospital, 3 in Narayani Community hospital in the district.

Out of the detected cases, 21 were from Chitwan, 4 from Nawalparasi, 3 from Syangja, 1 from Gorkha district and other yet to be verified.

Meanwhile, Chitwan District Public Health Office Chief Bijaya Kumar Jha accepted the lack of testing kit in the district and said process have been initiated to acquire the kits.

Despite the government’s provision to test the scrub for free, patients are forced to pay exorbitant fees for the test. Private hospitals charge about Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 for the same.

Earlier, 4 persons out of 509 detected of Scrub Typhus died during the course of treatment in the district.

The disease is non-communicable and gets transmitted when fleas, mites, lice, or ticks bite.