• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Issues that matter
    • COVID-19 in India
    • Inadequate safe drinking water
    • Poor sanitation
    • Environmental health
    • Infectious disease
      • Hepatitis C
    • Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)
    • Malnutrition
    • High infant mortality
    • Mental health
    • Sex and gender discrimination
  • Special Focus
    • Interviews
      • Exclusive Interviews
      • Readers Interviews
    • Vaccine Hesitancy
  • News
  • PandemiCast
  • Partner’s Press Office

Health Issues India

Health issues in India

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Editorial Team
  • Subscribe
  • Contribute
  • Sponsor
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Featured / Scrub typhus, an overlooked condition

Scrub typhus, an overlooked condition

December 1, 2021 By Nicholas Parry Leave a Comment

Scrub typhus is a little known disease that goes overlooked in India. Its burden is thought to be significantly underestimated due to a lack of available data and low public awareness.

Copyright: jarun011 / 123RF Stock PhotoScrub typhus is caused by being bitten by chiggers (larval mites) infected with the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi, which belongs to the Rickettsiaceae bacteria family. The disease is typically limited to rural areas where exposure to the mites is a more common phenomenon.

The disease is prevalent across numerous regions of India, however, the overall number of infections is all but unknown. One study has said that in the last decade, there were 18,781 confirmed scrub typhus cases reported in 138 hospital-based studies and two community-based studies. They also found that “The overall case-fatality rate was 6.3 percent, and the mortality among those with multi-organ dysfunction syndrome was as high as 38.9 percent,” indicating a high degree of lethality associated with the condition. Should more widespread studies be conducted, the true extent of the disease could be uncovered. Despite its mortality and apparent commonality, even health workers remain unaware of the disease.

Scroll.In gives the example of Vidyavati Bagh, a local auxiliary nurse midwife in charge of 22 villages in Odisha’s Bissamcuttack block, who, when given a description of scrub typhus, responded “no no, we don’t have this disease here.” She listed all the known reasons for fever in the area – malaria, dengue, typhoid, and “viral fever”, an umbrella term health often used for fevers they can’t identify. However, just eleven kilometres away, in the Christian Hospital Bissamcuttack, at least four patients were receiving intensive care after falling ill with scrub typhus.

Scrub typhus is a disease that suffers from a lack of public knowledge. Even in recent years media coverage of the disease has been limited, this is despite a number of outbreaks occurring across the country. 

In 2016, 700 cases were reported in Himachal Pradesh leading to twenty deaths. Cases of the disease were reported across 2019 in Kerala. Despite the disease typically being limited to rural areas, cases of the disease were reported in Delhi and Kolkata in the same year. 

“It’s possible the chigger has adapted itself to urban conditions,” noted Fortis Hospital consultant Dr Joydeep Ghosh in the wake of the 2019 outbreaks. “So, it could now be risky to assume that scrub typhus can strike only in rural areas.” 

Without adequate testing the true burden of scrub typhus will remain completely unknown. Reports of cases within cities adds credulity to the possibility that the disease is shifting from being almost exclusive to rural locations, threatening millions of lives in the process.

Filed Under: Featured, Infectious diseases, National Tagged With: scrub typhus

About Nicholas Parry

Nicholas Parry has a Bachelor of Science in genetics from the University of Sheffield and a Master of Research in neuroscience from the University of Nottingham. He has been a featured writer for Health Issues since 2016. He is based in South Wales.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Articles

  • Renewed fears of a bird flu pandemic; The latest health stories from around the world
  • More oversight needed for “gain of function” research says expert panel; The latest health stories from around the world
  • Marion Biotech to be investigated by Indian drug regulator
  • Sesame to be added to list of major food allergens
  • Approval of Alzheimer’s drug “rife with irregularities”

Footer

Archives

Issues that matter

  • Environmental health
  • Inadequate safe drinking water
  • Poor sanitation
  • Infectious disease
  • Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)
  • Malnutrition
  • High infant mortality

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie settingsACCEPTACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.