City sees spike in scrub typhus cases, 1-month-old baby in PICU
Times of India | 27 July 2024
Kolkata: The city has been witnessing a rise in scrub typhus cases, with several hospitals admitting patients, some with multi-organ involvement. Among those affected is a one-month-old baby who is undergoing treatment in PICU at a hospital for severe complications.
Also known as bush typhus, scrub typhus is caused by the bacterium, Orientia tsutsugamushi.In humans it is transmitted by the bite of infected chiggers/larval mites. Usually reported more in rural areas, where there’s an abundance of paddy fields and bushes, the disease is increasingly being reported in the city and suburbs, too. Health experts fear further spike in the number of cases amid monsoon. Peerless Hospital microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri pointed out that the number of cases might to go up further in Aug-Sept and was likely to be reported till after monsoon. “People with severe illnesses may develop organ failure and bleeding, which can be fatal, if left untreated,” he said.
“We received around 24 scrub typhus cases in the past one and a half months. Among them, four children required intensive care. At present, we have a one-month-old baby with complications,” said paediatrics intensivist Prabhas Prasun Giri, associate professor at Institute of Child Health Kolkata. An official of the child hospital said this year’s number was slightly higher than that last year.
While children are the most affected, hospitals are also getting adults. “We recently discharged a Kolkata-based young doctor. While she did not have any bite mark, she showed symptoms, such as severe headache and unresolved fever for over a fortnight, which raised suspicion. Test reports confirmed scrub typhus,” said Rahul Jain, internal medicine specialist at Belle Vue Clinic.
Doctors said people who went on treks and hikes were vulnerable to chigger bites. “There has been a spurt in scrub typhus cases since monsoon set in. I have seen around 10 cases in the past one and a half months primarily in men aged 30-50 years, though it can affect both genders equally and at any age,” said Joydeep Ghosh, internal medicine consultant at Fortis Hospital Anandapur.
SSKM professor of medicine Alakes Kumar Kole said, “In some cases we are seeing, there is involvement of organs, like the brain, kidney and liver. And it is affecting both adults and children.”
Consultant physician at ILS Hospitals, Salt Lake Sarbajit Ray said keeping the surroundings clean, regular trimming of bushes and fully covering oneself might help prevent a person from being bitten by infected chiggers.