21 die of mite disease in Himachal

Shimla: At least 21 people have died of scrub typhus, a disease caused by the bite of an infected mite, in Himachal Pradesh this year, an official said here on Saturday.

"Over 450 people were tested positive for the disease," a spokesperson for state health services said.

He said most of the cases were reported from the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla and Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda, Kangra district.

Shimla, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur are the worst scrub typhus-affected districts. In last two years, 44 people have died of it in the state, he added.

Its symptoms are -- fever, headache, muscle pain, cough and gastroenteritis -- inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines.

IANS