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Scrub typhus cases go up to 1,148

SHIMLA: With the death count reaching 12 and the number of cases going up to 1,148, scrub typhus is showing no signs of relenting.

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Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 6

With the death count reaching 12 and the number of cases going up to 1,148, scrub typhus is showing no signs of relenting. Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan, Mandi, and Kullu are the worst affected districts.

According to the epidemic-prone diseases report of the Health Department available till October 3, scrub typhus has claimed 12 lives this year, six of which have been reported in the last two weeks. Out of 12 deaths, five were from Shimla, two each from Mandi and Kangra and one each from Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kinnaur till October 3, the report shows.

The number of cases tested positive for scrub typhus has also gone up from 801 on September 19 to 1,148 on October 3. On October 1 and 2, 65 of the 165 patients screened for scrub typhus were tested positive.

So far, 9,477 patients have been tested for scrub typhus, out of which 1,148 have been positive. These include 320 cases in Bilaspur, 205 in Hamirpur, 155 in Shimla, 117 in Kangra, 163 in Mandi and 71 in Solan, 41 in Kullu and 14 in Sirmaur, the report reveals.

The number of scrub typhus cases goes up in September and October due to grass cutting in rural areas, said a health official.

On the other hand, dengue, which was little known in the hill state, has claimed two lives this year. Out of 3,130 cases screened this year, 176 were found positive for dengue, out of which 91 were in Solan.

Surveillance teams have found breeding of dengue mosquitoes in industrial hubs of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh and Parwanoo, where migratory workers were the main victims.

This year, Bilaspur has performed better in controlling dengue, which had registered 250 cases till July 2018. “This year, nine cases were detected in Bilaspur till October 3,” said a health official.

With 24 cases, Kangra has seen a spurt in dengue cases this year. Sirmaur has recorded 13 cases, Shimla 10 and Mandi 11.

Dr Sonam Negi, state diseases surveillance officer, said the number of scrub typhus and dengue cases was on the lower side this year. The number of cases would decrease after October as the outbreak was generally witnessed during the rainy season, said Negi.

Dr Negi said people were advised keep themselves covered while cutting and gathering grass. They should take medicine if they suffer from fever, he said.

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