Why in news?
A Gulf expatriate returning to Kerala was diagnosed with scrub typhus, a mite‑borne bacterial infection usually confined to Southeast Asia. The case alerted health authorities to the possibility of the disease being present in arid regions and underscored the need for clinicians to consider it when treating unexplained fevers.
What is scrub typhus?
Scrub typhus is caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by the bite of larval mites (chiggers) found in scrub vegetation. The infection is endemic to an area known as the “tsutsugamushi triangle” covering parts of South and East Asia, including India. People become infected when they work or rest among bushes where infected mites live.
Symptoms and transmission
- Symptoms: After an incubation of 6–21 days, patients develop high fever, chills, headache, body aches, cough and sometimes a dark scab (eschar) at the bite site. In severe cases the infection can progress to pneumonia, encephalitis, kidney failure or multi‑organ dysfunction.
- Diagnosis: Because the symptoms resemble other tropical diseases like dengue or leptospirosis, laboratory tests (serology or PCR) are needed to confirm the diagnosis.
- Treatment: Prompt administration of antibiotics such as doxycycline or azithromycin usually cures the infection within a few days. Without treatment the fatality rate can be 30–45 percent.
Prevention and challenges
- Preventive measures: Avoiding scrub vegetation, wearing long‑sleeved clothing, using insect repellents and applying permethrin to clothes can reduce the risk of mite bites.
- Public health burden: Kerala alone reported nearly 1,000 cases in 2024. Climate change, deforestation and increased travel may expand the distribution of infected mites.
- Awareness: Clinicians need to recognise scrub typhus in returning travellers. Early diagnosis and treatment prevent complications and deaths.
Source: New Indian Express