SCRUB TYPHUS DEATH TOLL REACHES 5 IN HP

SHIMLA : A seven-year-old boy from Shimla died of scrub typhus at Indira Gandhi Medical College, taking the death toll due to the disease to five.

Scrub typhus is an infectious disease caused by the bite of mites found in shrubs in hilly terrain.

A report of the endemic prone diseases by the state health department said two people from Shimla, and one each from Chamba, Sirmaur and Kangra, have died from the disease this season since June 20.

State health department director Baldev Thakur said the mites of scrub typhus are more active in the rainy season. Fleas, mites and lice are carriers of the ailment.

As many as 5,794 people were examined for the typhus fever of which 476 reported positive. 111 cases have been reported from Hamirpur and 106 cases from Bilaspur.

Statistics reveal that 67 cases have been reported from Shimla, 42 cases from Solan, 23 from Sirmaur, 41 from Kangra, 41 from Mandi and 13 cases from Kullu district.

The state health department has issued guidelines to the hospitals. Medicines have been provided to sub-health centres and citizens have been asked to take care of personal hygiene.

Symptoms of the disease include high fever, headache, muscle pain, cough, and gastroenteritis.

After getting infected, if the medication is not taken within three days of fever, the patient gets prone to kidneys and liver infections.

SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE INCLUDE HIGH FEVER, HEADACHE, MUSCLE PAIN, COUGH, AND GASTROENTERITIS