If Delhiites are battling with dengue and chikungunya, their counterparts in Himachal Pradesh are in the grip of the scrub typhus — a mite-borne disease, which has claimed 20 lives and affected over 700 people across the neighbouring hilly State.
Alert at the toll, the Centre on Tuesday assured all help saying that it was willing to send an expert committee to Himachal Pradesh to tackle the spread of the disease.
Scrub typhus is an acute illness caused by a bacterium Orientia Tsutsugamushi, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected mite larva present in the soil having scrub vegetation and Himachal Pradesh is an endemic region.
“Union Health Ministry is willing to send an expert committee to the State on its request. “The Ministry is very closely monitoring the situation and if requested shall provide all logistical and technical support to the Himachal Pradesh Government to strengthen their capacity to effectively manage the situation,” Nadda said. He also stressed on the need to start rigorous awareness campaigns.
As per the report received by the Centre, the mite-borne disease has claimed 20 lives and afflicted 710 persons across the State for the last three months.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, a primary lesion, a macular rash, and lymphadenopathy.
Health officials claimed to have screened over 5,000 suspected patients out of which over 700 have tested positive for the disease. last year, the death toll was 28, reports said.