Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs
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Scrub typhus is a major public health threat in South and Southeast Asia.
Key details:
- As per estimates, nearly one million cases are reported from South and Southeast Asia with 10% mortality.
- India is one of the hotspots with at least 25% of the disease burden.
- A trial carried out in India where patients were received a combination therapy of both doxycycline and azithromycin showed faster resolution of complications compared with patients who were given monotherapy of either doxycycline or azithromycin.
About scrub typhus:
- Scrub typhus is also known as bush typhus.
- It is caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi.
- Scrub typhus is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
- Most cases of scrub typhus occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India, and northern Australia.
Treatment
- Scrub typhus should be treated with the antibiotics.
- No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus.
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB
