Scrub Typhus

• 26 Sep 2020

Why in News

An outbreak of Scrub Typhus (also known as Bush Typhus), a bacterial disease, has caused 5 deaths and 600 infections in Nagaland’s Noklak district bordering Myanmar.

• The North East Region is also suffering from an outbreak of diseases like malaria, Japanese encephalitis and Covid-19 pandemic.
• The cattles have also been affected by African swine fever.

Key Points

• Caused By: Orientia tsutsugamushi (Bacteria)
• Spread: Through bites of Larval Mites of family trombiculid, also called Chiggers.
• Symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash.
• Occurrence: Rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia.
• Treatment: Antibiotics. No vaccine available.

Typhus

• Typhus is a group of bacterial infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
  
  • Epidemic typhus is due to Rickettsia prowazekii spread by body lice.
  • Scrub typhus is due to Orientia tsutsugamushi spread by chiggers.
  • Murine typhus is due to Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas.
• Napoleon’s army was infected with Epidemic Typhus during his invasion of Russia in 1812 causing it to retreat.

Source: TH