SCRUB TYPHUS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci & Tech (Diseases))

Context: Recently, record-breaking rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, attributed to climate change, has led to a surge in scrub typhus cases across the state.

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.

o 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.