Bhubaneswar: September 30: In recent weeks, the outbreak of scrub typhus has created an alarming situation in several districts of Odisha. In Sundargarh, there are 292 infected individuals as of Wednesday.
The first scrub typhus patient was identified in the Sundargarh district in January. The infection rate did not grow initially, but after August the number of cases in the district increased. In the past three days, 42 new cases were reported by the district.
Due to the increase in scrub typhus cases in Odisha, a central team visited Sundargarh to assess the district’s situation.
A six-person delegation included two medical professionals from Odisha. Dr. Sameer Gulati, Professor, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi; Dr. Tushar N. Nale, Public Health Specialist, National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi; and Dr. Dhara Shah, Assistant Director (Microbiology), National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi, participated in a review meeting at Sundargarh CDMO’s conference room.
The transmission of scrub typhus is through the biting of infected chiggers (larval mites). It is one of the infections that can be fatal if left untreated.
