Typhus – Nepal

25 cases of scrub typhus have been detected in the Gorkha district of Nepal on September 19, 2021.

Scrub typhus is most commonly spread through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). Symptoms can include fever, headache, body aches, and rashes.

Photo: cells infected with Rickettsia bacteria (red)

Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus (body lice), scrub typhus (chiggers), murine typhus (fleas) and tick-borne typhus.

The diseases are caused by specific types of bacterial infection. Epidemic typhus is due to Rickettsia prowazekii.

Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure.

Prevention is achieved by reducing exposure to the organisms that spread the disease. Typhus has been described since at least 1528 AD.

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