KATHMANDU, Sept 4: Thousands of people are infected with scrub typhus every year in Nepal, which is rarely seen in developed countries. According to the data of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the Ministry of Health and Population, 3,536 people have been infected with scrub typhus in Nepal since mid-December last year.

Last year, the scrub typhus infection was confirmed in 5,307 people. Hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley have reported that they are admitting and treating patients who arrived late for treatment after being infected, as well as those with chronic illness. Three scrub typhus patients have been admitted to Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku. Ten people were admitted to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital last week, while two patients are currently in the emergency room.

Most of the infected people who come for treatment to the Kathmandu Valley hospitals are from Dhading, Nuwakot, Kavre, Gorkha and other districts. According to the EDCD, scrub typhus infections have been observed in various districts across the country. According to doctors, cases of scrub typhus have been regularly seen in Nepal since 2015. Sher Bahadur Pun, Clinical Research Unit Coordinator at Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, said that the disease was not identified because it was not tested before.

According to Dr Pun, a study showed that many children died of scrub typhus in Dharan in 2004. The number of deaths due to scrub typhus is rising every year in Nepal. However, the EDCD has not been able to ascertain the cause of death as dengue and scrub typhus and other chronic diseases have also been observed in the dead bodies.

Dr Gokarna Dahal, the chief of the Vector Borne Disease Section at the EDCD, said, “We don't receive reports from the hospital that deaths are due to scrub typhus, people infected with scrub typhus also have dengue and other diseases, and so we can't say that scrub typhus is the cause of death. According to doctors, the scrub typhus infection is caused by the parasite Orientia tsutsugamushi, a mite-borne bacterium, and spreads in the human body after they are bitten by infected chiggers (larval mites) found in mice.

The symptoms of the infection begin to appear within a week to 20 days after a mite bite. The infected person may have high fever, swelling of the glands, pneumonia with increasing complications. The scrub typhus can claim the patient lives if it is not treated on time. Dr Pun said that most of the villagers in Nepal have been found to be infected with scrub typhus. The infection is observed more in villages than in cities, Dahal said.

Doctors say that infection rates are significantly lower in developed countries compared to developing countries. Doctors claim that some infected people in Nepal have taken antibiotics without testing. Such infected people do not reach the hospital for treatment.

Dr Pun said, “The infected number may be more than this” Antibiotics used for typhoid fever were given to the patient before the medical examination. Now the hospital has been  providing separate antibiotics for those infected with scrub typhus.

Dr Pun suggested the public to be cautious as the risk of scrub typhus remains still for two more months. Doctors suggest going for treatment on time as scrub typhus can be cured if it is treated as soon as the symptoms appear. Doctors said that avoiding walking barefoot in bushes, using a suitable ground sheet or other ground cover and keeping your surroundings clean to prevent mice from coming around, can prevent this disease. 

 
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