Newmai News Network AIZAWL | JULY 24 After one dead in Pangzawl village in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district in early July, fresh cases of scrub typhus deaths have been reported from Sawleng village in Aizawl district with the death of 2 people recently. Officials of the State Health department said that at least two people have died and 20 others are currently suffering from scrub typhus in Sawleng village. The state government has sent a medical team to the village on Tuesday to take stock of the situation, State nodal officer of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Dr Pachuau Lalmalswama said. Sources from Sawleng village said, an 11-yer-old RD Lalfakzeli died on July 12 while a 45-year-old Thangzalala died on Monday due to scrub typhus infection. The two were identified with the infection in the first week of July, sources said. The Health department officials then said that at least 50 people from Sawleng village were examined at Darlawn hospital on Monday out of which 10 were found infected with scrub typhus infection. They said that scrub typhus infection was also found in neihbouring villages of Sawleng village. Pachuau said that scrub typhus infection is spreading very fast in the state and so the Health department is taking massive effort to check the spread of the disease. The Health department officials then said that over 107 scrub typhus cases were reported from Pangzawl village in Lunglei district and more than 30 cases were also reported from Thenzawl village in Aizawl district recently. At least 161 cases of scrub typhus infection were also reported from Haulawng village in southern Mizoram’s Lunglei district and 89 others from Phullen village and surrounding villages like Luangpawn, Thanglailung and Zawngin in Aizawl district in January this year, they said. According to the Health department officials, at least 42 people have died and over 2,000 infected with scrub typhus since the first case was reported in Mizoram in 2012. Scrub typhus is a mite-borne disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (formerly Rickettsia tsutsugamushi). The adult mites do not bite but the larvae – which are too small to be seen by the naked eye – do so in a painless manner. Symptoms are fever, a primary lesion, a mascular rash, and lymphadenopathy.
