In the last 24 hours, up to 25 additional persons have tested positive for scrub typhus infection in Odisha's Sundargarh district, bringing the overall number of such cases in the area to 355, officials said on Friday.

 

According to reports, 108 samples were sent for testing, with 25 of them testing positive for scrub typhus.

 

 

 

Scrub typhus is transmitted by the biting of infected chiggers (larval mites). If the fever lasts for four or five days, the test, which is free of charge, should be taken.

 

Scrub typhus testing is being conducted at the Rourkela Government Hospital and the Sundargarh District Health Centre. To raise awareness about the condition, the Health Department is deploying Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife volunteers.

 

In Odisha, eight individuals have died as a result of the sickness. While seven people have died in the Bargarh district, one person has died from the virus in Sundargarh.

 

 

A prominent government bureaucrat has tested positive for scrub typhus, which has been on the rise in Odisha. So far, eight people have died from the sickness, and 2,820 have tested positive. According to sources, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, the senior secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment Department, tested positive for scrub typhus after developing symptoms.He is receiving treatment at home and is said to be in stable health. Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is caused by the intracellular parasite Orientia tsutsugamushi and is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected chiggers (larval mites), which are widely found in agriculture, bushy regions, and gardens.

 

According to health department officials, Padhee was identified with the ailment at an early stage and is receiving treatment.

 

So far this year, 22,077 samples have been analyzed, and 2,820 of them have tested positive for scrub typhus. The majority of the cases are from four districts: Keonjhar (752 cases), Balangir (462 cases), Sambalpur (280 cases), and Khurda (105 cases).

 

As the number of patients continues to rise and the disease has spread to more than 20 districts, the central team, which visited the state to assess the situation, has asked the state administration to increase testing and adhere to the right treatment procedure."The ELISA test can accurately detect scrub typhus."We have urged individuals to visit government institutions and be tested if they experience symptoms. "Early detection and treatment can cure it," he adds. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain prayed Padhee a swift recovery from the sickness.