CHENNAI : If the dengue and viral fever cases were not enough, the officials of the health department are now also battling scrub typhus (a mite-borne disease).The disease caught attention after three cases were detected at the Institute of Mental Health during a special screening. All inmates were screened after four persons who were admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) died recently. According to senior health official, 45 scrub typhus cases were reported in Chennai and around 1,400 cases were reported across the State from January.
“It is an undifferentiated febrile illness. High grade fever, body pain and eschar at the site of the bite are common symptoms. It even affects the central nervous system and cause encephalitis, eventually leads to multi-organ failure and death,” an official said.“During screening, the official detected three cases and they were given antibiotics. We have bushes around, so the cases have been reported.
All precautions were taken,” said P Poorna Chandrika, Director, Institute of Mental Health. A senior doctor at RGGGH said, “Every day, one or two patients from IMH are being admitted. But they are chronically ill with co-morbid conditions. Though a few cases have been admitted with fever, still we have not come to any conclusion on common cause.
What is scrub typhus
Scrub typhus is a disease caused by Orientia Tsutsugamushi bacteria and it is spread to people through bites of infected larval mites. It is treated with antibiotic doxycycline. The mites are mainly found in grassy fields, shruby areas, forests, abandoned rice fields and cleared forests, officials said.