Scrub typhus

About Scrub typhus:

• It is a life-threatening infection caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria which is a major public health threat in South and Southeast Asia.
• It spreads to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
• Symptoms: The most common symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes rash.
• Treatment: Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline can be used in persons of any age.
• There is no vaccine available for this disease.
• It will not spread from person to person.
• India is one of the hotspots with at least 25% of the disease burden.

What is Typhus fever?

• Typhus fevers are a group of diseases caused by bacteria that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
  • Epidemic typhus: It is caused due to Rickettsia prowazeki and it is spread to people through contact with infected body lice. 
  • Scrub typhusis: It caused due to Orientia tsutsugamushi and spread by chiggers.
  • Murine typhus: It is caused due to Rickettsia typhi spread by fleas. It occurs in tropical and subtropical climates around the world