Context
∙ According to a study conducted in Tamil nadu, an increase in rainfall could lead to rise in monthly scrub typhus cases.
What is Scrub Typhus?
∙ It is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted through infected mites (chiggers).
∙ Symptoms: It include fever, headache, body ache and sometimes a rash.
∙ In severe cases, the infection can lead to respiratory distress, brain and lung inflammation, kidney failure and multi-organ failure, ultimately resulting in death.
∙ Causes: Mites carrying the disease are generally found in the bush, jungle and paddy areas. Several factors, like exposure to farming, owning domestic animals, outdoor activities and sanitation, affect its prevalence.
∙ Diagnosis: Elisa test is used to diagnose the disease.
Prevention and Treatment
∙ No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus. The risk of the infection can be reduced by avoiding contact with infected chiggers.
∙ If someone gets infected by scrub typhus then it should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline.
Role of climate in spread of Scrub Typhus
∙ The study found that temperature, humidity and rainfall had a major role in the incidence of scrub typhus.
∙ For every millimeter increase in rainfall could lead to a 0.5 to 0.7 percent rise in monthly scrub typhus cases.∙ Similarly monthly scrub typhus cases increased by 7.6 percent for every per cent jump in mean relative humidity.
