BAJURA, SEPTEMBER 12
Patients of scrub typhus are increasing in Bajura district in recent months.
According to Bajura District Hospital, 28 cases of scrub typhus have been detected so far in the district since Asar.
The cases were detected after testing patients that had come to the hospital for treatment and there is a high possibility that scrub patients are also in other health facilities of the district, informed Dr Prakash Raj Joshi, at the district hospital.
Scrub typhus is an infectious disease caused by a parasite called chigger, primarily found in rats and mice. The mites contract the disease in their larval stage. Thus, the mites are both vectors and reservoirs of the disease.
The most common symptoms of scrub typhus, also referred to as bush typhus, are fever, headache, body ache and rashes, similar to dengue, Dr Joshi said while adding that Bajura is also one of the high-risk areas for Scrub typhus.
The patients with scrub typhus would likely suffer from continuous fever, headache, sweating, pain in the corner of the eyes, weakness and cough. Patients will start to show rashes in their neck after contracting the disease for five to seven days which will spread to the other parts of the body, added Dr Joshi.
He urged people to wear full-sleeve clothes, boots, maintain hygiene, keep the surroundings clean and take safety measures to avoid contracting the virus.
In case a person is symptomatic, one should immediately visit the health facilities.
The number of scrub typhus cases have gone up with the rise in the temperature, he added, while suggesting to clear the bushes around the houses and avoid coming in contact with rodents.
According to the statistics of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, eight persons died of scrub typhus last year while 84 had contracted the disease.
However, the number of patients has gone up since then, added doctors.
