Scrub Typhus: History
During World War 2, severe epidemics of the disease occurred among troops in Burma and Ceylon. most of the soldiers died in the Burma army because before 1994 no vaccine or antibiotics were not available. After World War II, the illness, also an issue for US forces stationed in Japan, was known as “Hatsuka fever” or “Shichit fever”. The first case of scrub typhus was identified in Chile in 2006. Instead of a recent spread to Chile, this is most likely the outcome of underdiagnosis and underreporting. The sickness was first identified in Chile’s southern area in January 2020.
The sickness was first identified in Chile’s southern area in January 2020. it, also known as bush typhus, jungle typhus, or mite typhus, is an acute infectious disease that affects people and is brought on by the parasite Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is spread to people by the biting of specific trombiculid mites, often known as chiggers.
it is caused by the bacteria O. tsutsugamushi, which is largely a parasite of some mites. Leptotrombidium (Trombicula) akamushi and L. deliense, two species of these mites that are closely related, are the disease’s carriers. These mites pick up the illness from wild rats or other small animals when they are in their larval stage. When a mite larva bites a person, the infection is transmitted to humans.
What is Scrub Typhus?
In our nation, it is actually a fairly uncommon illness. After being bitten by a rat or another sort of insect in the dense grass of the forest, a bacteria known as “Orientia tsutsugamushi” enters the body and causes the disease. Given that this condition has a 30% mortality rate, it is considered to be exceedingly deadly. About 8 to 10 days after this bacteria enters the body, symptoms like fever, body rash, headache, and body soreness start to manifest. Brain fever frequently results in unconsciousness in patients, hence precautions have been taken to stop it from happening or spreading.
Symptoms of Scrub Typhus
The doctors do identify whether the patient is affected by typhus or not on the basis of some lab tests and to check for ‘eschars’. eschars are nothing but bite marks that are identified by the dark color and dead tissue in the affected body. The bites are painless so some symptoms help to identify scrub typhus or not.
- Fever: High fever is one of the common symptoms of scrub Typhus
- Headache: continue headache common with typhus
- Cough: Some patients could start coughing and have respiratory issues.
- Muscle and joint Pain: Muscle and joint aches and pains are frequently mentioned.
- Rash: A few days after the start of the fever, a rash could appear. Usually, it begins on the trunk and then spreads to other body areas. Small, flat, red patches or raised, pimple-like lesions are both possible symptoms of the rash.
- Chills: the patient may feel like shivering in the body due to fever.
Scrub Typhus Precautions
- Insecticides are used to prevent from it.
- full outer clothing, gumboots, and hand glows should be used while working in the bush to protect from it
- The clothes should soaked and washed in hot water after work is done.
- Keep social distance from the infected person.
What is the treatment for Scrub Typhus?
Antibiotics are used for the treatment of typhus, particularly doxycycline. The sooner antibiotics are taken, the more effective the treatment is, even though due to the procedures required it may take time to confirm the diagnosis. It can be administered to people of any age unless other medical issues prevent its usage. It will occur, and the healing process will go just as quickly.
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