3 new Scrub Typhus cases detected in Odisha’s Sundargarh; total cases now at 183

At least three more people have tested positive for Scrub Typhus in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, informed Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Kanhucharan Nayak on Monday. 

Eleven people were found Scrub Typhus positive a day back. With the fresh addition, the total number of cases in the district now reached 183. Of the infected people, 10 patients are from outside Odisha and nine are from other districts, the CDMO added.

Despite the health department taking necessary steps to spread awareness, the disease has been spreading its tentacles in the district. Currently, Scrub Typhus test facilities have been made available at Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) and Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital (DHH).

Moreover, the health department has deployed ASHA and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife volunteers to spread awareness about the disease.

According to reports, at least seven people have died due to the disease in Odisha. Six of the deceased hailed from Odisha’s Bargarh district while another person was from Sundargarh.

Worth mentioning, Scrub Typhus infection spreads through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The common symptoms of the disease include fever and a black inflamed mark on the skin called ‘eschar’. 

People who frequently visit farmland or forests are vulnerable to the infection.