Bharatpur, Oct 21: Out of 4,108 people who sought medical attention in Chitwan, 246 have tested positive for scrub typhus, according to the District Public Health Office.
Ram KC, kit controller at the office, said that 181 of the infected are local residents and 65 are from other districts. Among the affected areas, Bharatpur Metropolitan City has reported 25 cases, Khairahani Municipality 43, Madi 4, Ratnanagar 61, Rapti 20, Kalika 23, and Ichhakamana Rural Municipality 5.
Scrub typhus spreads to humans through bites from infected mites found on the ears of mice and other small animals. Symptoms include high fever, red eyes, cough, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, breathing problems, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, skin rashes, and sometimes black scab-like marks at the bite site.
KC urged people to take preventive steps such as wearing full-sleeve clothes and closed shoes while working in fields or forests, using insect repellents on exposed skin, cutting grass around houses, keeping surroundings clean, and storing grains properly to keep rodents away.
People's News Monitoring Service