Shimla: Two more persons have died due to scrub typhus at a hospital here, taking the death toll from the disease caused by infected mites during the current season to 10 in Himachal Pradesh.
The patients were referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMC) her from Solan and Shimla, doctors said.
More cases of scrub typhus, a zoonotic disease which can be transmitted from animals to humans, were pouring in and so far 155 patients have tested positive.
So far four patients from Bilaspur district admitted at IGMC have died but only two of them were confirmed scrub typhus cases.
While most cases have been reported from Shimla, maximum deaths so far have been reported from Bilaspur district and the victims were mostly from rural areas.
So far, two deaths each have been reported from Shimla and Solan district, five from Bilaspur district and one from Mandi, the doctors said.
The number of scrub typhus positive cases was 402 up to September 25 and the disease had taken a toll of 17 last year.
The cases show sudden rises towards end of monsoon and patients complain of high fever, severe headache and rashes.
Patients administered antibiotics typically recover within 48 hours of starting therapy but it can cause death if it goes untreated.
Meanwhile, cases of high fever were pouring in from different part of Hamirpur district after monsoon and more than 51 percent patients were suffering from water borne diseases.
Block Medical Officer H R Kalia has cautioned he people not take high grade fever lightly and immediately report to nearest health centers for treatment.
"Waterborne diseases have registered a sudden spurt during this season and number of patients with fever above 102 degree F has suddenly swelled up in different hospitals in the district," the BMO said.
PTI
