CUTTACK: An elderly man has reportedly died due to scrub typhus and two more infected with the mite-borne disease in Cuttack district.
Prabhakar Das (70), succumbed to the disease at Mahima Ashram in Anlo village under Niali block on September 23. A devotee of Mahima cult, Das stayed at Daspalla in Nayagarh district and often used to go to forests to collect root and leaves of medicinal plants. After returning to Mahima Ashram, he fell sick and was admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar where he was diagnosed with scrub typhus.
Sources said Das refused to undergo treatment, left the hospital against medical advice and returned to the ashram where his health condition started deteriorating. He died of the disease in the night on September 23.
CDMO Dr Makaranda Beuria said the elderly man having travel history was also suffering from diabetes which may have led to complications, resulting in his death. “On September 25, a rapid response team (RRT) went to the Anlo village and collected blood samples of 60 persons. However, all the samples have tested negative for scrub typhus.” Beuria further said two more persons including a minor have also been infected with scrub typhus in Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) area. But they neither have any travel history nor sign of bite of the infected mites.
A nine-year-old boy of Meria Bazaar developed fever on September 25 and tested positive for scrub typhus. Though the fever has subsided, rashes have developed on the body of the boy who is being treated at home.
Similarly, a 34-year-old woman of Balibandha near Naraj suffered from fever since September 24 and tested positive for scrub typhus. She is undergoing treatment at the City Hospital. Her condition is stable, said the CDMO. However, city health officer Dr Satyabrat Mohapatra said he has no information about any person infected with scrub typhus in CMC area.