Prisca Tang
The Health Bureau reported another case of scrub typhus, also known as Tsutsugamushi Disease, in a statement yesterday, which is the second case within a week.
According to the statement, a 50-year-old female resident started to show symptoms of the disease, such as headache and fever, last Monday. The statement noted that she started to develop a rash all over her body last Wednesday and was hospitalised at Kiang Wu Hospital on the following day.
The statement said that after a thorough medical check, the doctor found a painless eschar about one centimetre in size near the right groin of the resident, stressing that after treatment her condition has now stabilised. The statement pointed out that the resident had a habit of exercising in Mong Ha Hill Municipal Park every morning before catching the disease, noting that she usually stays for an hour and had stepped on a grass patch. The statement said that the resident had not left Macau during the incubation period of the disease.
The statement pointed out that Tsutsugamushi Disease is transmitted by bugs or rodents that carry Rickettsia Tsutsugamushi. The statement said that rodents and bugs which carry Rickettsia Tsutsugamushi tend to live in grassland that has a high temperature and humid environment.
According to the statement, the disease can be transmitted through bites from the carriers. The statement noted that the symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and other skin conditions. The statement underlined that after being bitten by the carrier, there will be a painless eschar. The statement stressed that currently there is no vaccination or antibiotics to treat the disease.
The bureau urges residents to abide by the following guidelines when engaged in outdoor activities: maintain good personal hygiene by showering and changing clothes, avoid entering grassland, wear long sleeves and use bug repellent, and find a doctor immediately if showing the above symptoms.
