Scrub Typhus: What Is It And How To Prevent?

As COVID cases continue to rise in India, a new outbreak Scrub Typhus has been reported in nagaland with 618 cases and 5 succumbing to it, since January. With a lack of vaccination how to manage this bacterial disease?

Now that the COVID-19 cases are still surging in many states of India, a new outbreak has been reported by the Noklak district administration in Nagaland. The outbreak of ‘Scrub Typhus’ has been reported. 618 positive cases have come forward and at least 5 people succumbed to infection since January in the district. But what is this new disease?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is a disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. Scrub typhus is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). Most cases of scrub typhus occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia. Anyone living in or traveling to areas where scrub typhus is found could get infected.”

Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of this disease are usually presented within 10 days of being infected or bitten. Here are some of the signs and symptoms as stated by the CDC:

• Fever and chills
• Headache
• Body aches and muscle pain
• A dark, scab-like region at the site of the chigger bite (also known as eschar)
• Mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Rash

“People with severe illness may develop organ failure and bleed, which can be fatal if left untreated.”

Diagnosis

The symptoms of scrub typhus are more or less similar to many other diseases and it may become difficult to differentiate it. However, consult a doctor if you are presenting these symptoms and have traveled to or stayed in the areas where it is typically found and also inform your health care provider about the same. Usually, a blood test may be carried out. Other tests, as per the symptoms, may include skin biopsy, western blot, immunofluorescence assay (IFA), etc.

Treatment

Here is what the CDC recommends for the treatment of this disease:

• Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age.
• Antibiotics are most effective if given soon after symptoms begin.
• People who are treated early with doxycycline usually recover quickly.

Therefore, consult your doctor as soon as you show an of the aforementioned symptoms.

Prevention

Since preventing diseases is always better than being infected and getting a cure. Moreover, since there is no vaccine available yet for it, here are some of the tips for the prevention of scrub typhus

1. Prevent traveling to areas where there is a high risk of getting infected by this disease.
2. Even if you are traveling to such countries where the disease is prevalent, avoid areas with dense vegetation, where chiggers may be found.
3. Carry an insect repellent and use it as per the instructions on the label of the product.

CDC also suggests to:

• Treat clothing and gear with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated items.
• Permethrin kills chiggers and can be used to treat boots, clothing, and camping gear.
• Treated clothing remains protective after multiple washes. See product information to learn how long the protection will last.
• If treating items yourself, follow the product instructions carefully.
• Do NOT use permethrin products directly on the skin. They are intended to treat clothing.

Therefore, it is not very common to certain parts of India but one should be very careful when traveling to such places, where there are cases of scrub typhus. And since vaccination is not yet commercially available, following proper preventive measures and getting medical help on the onset of any symptoms is very necessary.