Amaravati, Dec 2 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday directed health department officials to launch statewide awareness on scrub typhus following the death of a woman in Vizianagaram district.
Naidu held a review meeting at the Secretariat and sought details on the circumstances leading to the death of Chandaka Rajeswari, who had been diagnosed with the disease.
“The chief minister directed officials to ensure immediate medical attention for suspected cases and take measures to prevent similar incidents,” a press release said.
Officials informed Naidu that Rajeswari had contracted scrub typhus after being bitten by infected chigger mites. She was initially treated for typhoid before a rapid test confirmed the bacterial infection.
They said the disease, caused by the Orientia tsutsugamushi bacterium, is not communicable. Symptoms may include fever, cold, headache, muscle pain and rashes.
The medical and health department is preparing treatment facilities and conducting awareness drives to prevent further cases across the state, officials added.
Scrub typhus is a bacterial disease that spreads to people through bites of infected chiggers (mite larvae). Common symptoms of the disease include fever, headache and body ache.
This infection can lead to severe complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, hepatitis, and acute kidney injury. PTI MS STH SSK
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