Two more deaths due to scrub typhus in Odisha, toll rises to 8

Health department officials on Sunday confirmed two more deaths due to scrub typhus in two different districts, taking the death toll in Odisha to eight

Published on: Sep 18, 2023, 24:02:54 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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Health department officials on Sunday confirmed two more deaths due to scrub typhus in two different districts, taking the death toll in Odisha to eight.

Two more deaths due to scrub typhus infection, toll reaches to eight in Odisha. (Representational Image)

Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus is a mite-borne bacterial infection caused by bites of infected larval mites.

Chief district medical officer of Kalahandi, Niharendra Panda said, “a 34-year-old woman farmer of Kalahandi district who had died in a private hospital on August 30 was found to have succumbed to the scrub typhus infection on Sunday.”

In Bargarh district, one more person succumbed to infection while being treated at a private nursing home on Sunday, Panda added. In Sundargarh, where 11 persons tested positive for the infection on Sunday, an elderly person has already succumbed to the disease last month. So far 180 persons have tested positive for Scrub Typhus in Sundargarh.

Sundargarh CDMO Kanhu Charan Nayak said there is ample stock of medicines for the patients and a special team of doctors has been pressed into service to attend to the scrub virus patients in the district. At the same time, a sensitisation programme was organised in Sundargarh district for doctors on Friday with a view to checking the disease. Scrub typhus can be detected through ELISA system available at the District Public Health Laboratory of all District Headquarters Hospitals in the state. If diagnosed early, the disease can be treated effectively,

The chiggers that transmit the disease generally live in low temperature and high humidity conditions, said Dr Shankar Ramchandani, assistant professor of medicine in Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research of Sambalpur district. He said four years ago Scrub Typhus cases were reported in south Odisha districts as well as Keonjhar while Bargarh district saw scrub typhus outbreak in 2014 last.

“The western Odisha districts may have experienced climatic condition that is favourable for the growth of the mites,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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