19 August, Ratnagar (Chitwan):
As many as 104 people have been infected with scrub typhus in Chitwan so far, said that District Public Health Office (DPHO).
The DPHO made public data showing the number of the infected people amid a press conference in the district today.
The disease is an acute, febrile, infectious illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi.
At the press conference, proprietor of the Chitwan Medical College Dr Dayaram Lamsal said out of 222 people on whom a test was conducted for the disease, 104 have tested positive. The infected people’s list is dominated by children.
So far three persons have died of the disease (the deceased are from Chitwan, Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur) since the disease has been spreading especially in the eastern region since this year. So far the disease has been detected in 20 districts and Chitwan has the highest infected rate.
The Chitwan Medical College is the only medical facility in Chitwan that is conducting test for the disease. Although the health institution was finding it hard to conduct test for the disease due to a shortage of test kits, the supply was made some days ago helping the health facility with its business, said Dr Lamsal.
Doctors say that the disease is transmitted to humans by some species of trombiculid mites (chiggers, Leptotrombidium deliense and others). Symptoms include headache, fever above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, sweating and gland swelling among others.
According to available data, the disease broke out in Nepal last year and claimed eight people. RSS
