SCRUB TYPHUS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env & Eco)

Context: The recent upsurge in scrub typhus cases in Odisha has highlighted the influence of climate on the increased prevalence of this highly contagious disease.

• A 2022 study looked into clustering of scrub typhus cases in children in three contiguous adm
• inistrative districts in South India over five years. It found temperature, humidity and rainfall had a major role in the incidence of scrub typhus.

Scrub Typhus

• About: Scrub typhus is a potentially life-threatening infection caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria, posing a significant public health risk in South and Southeast Asia.
• Mites carrying the disease are generally found in the bush, jungle and paddy areas, so the disease is also called jungle or bush typhus.
• Transmission: People contract scrub typhus through the bites of infected chiggers, which are larval mites.
• Common Symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes a rash.
• Treatment: Scrub typhus requires treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline, suitable for individuals of all ages.
• Vaccine: Currently, there is no available vaccine for preventing scrub typhus.

Typhus Fever

• About: Typhus fevers encompass a collection of diseases caused by various bacteria, including epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus.
• Epidemic Typhus: Epidemic typhus is triggered by Rickettsia prowazeki and transmitted by body lice.
• Scrub Typhus: Scrub typhus, on the other hand, results from Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria and is spread by chiggers.
• Murine Typhus: Murine typhus is caused by Rickettsia typhi and transmitted by fleas.