BHUBANESWAR: Close to 500 cases of Scrub Typhus have been reported from various districts of Odisha this year, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Parliament on Friday.
In a written reply to an unstarred question by Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, the Minister said the Centre was aware of the occurrence of the Scrub Typhus disease in the State. “In 2021, a total of 497 cases of Scrub Typhus have been reported from various districts of Odisha. Nabarangpur has reported 43 cases this year,” he said.
In view of rising trends of Scrub Typhus, an advisory was issued by National Center for Disease Control in September 2021 to all states/UTs regarding containment measures for the prevention of the occurrence and management of the outbreaks.
Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. It spreads to people through bite of infected chiggers (larval mites). The most common symptoms of Scrub Typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash.