The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday that a 67-year-old local woman has been diagnosed with respiratory and heart failure after catching Tsutsugamushi Disease.
According to the statement, the woman started to have fever, cough and respiratory symptoms last Wednesday, and her right armpit started to swell three days later. The statement said on Sunday, the woman started to have palpitations, dizziness and fatigue, after which she was taken to the private Kiang Wu Hospital for treatment. The statement added that at the hospital she was diagnosed with respiratory and heart failure, after which was found to have a pea-size eschar (a superficial structure of dead tissue) on her back. The statement said after analysing the patient’s symptoms, the doctor diagnosed that she has Tsutsugamushi Disease.
The statement said that her family members and friends did not share her symptoms, pointing out that the patient used to go to Mong Ha Hill to exercise every day. The statement noted that she is the first Tsutsugamushi Disease patient this year in Macau.
The statement pointed out that Tsutsugamushi Disease, also known as scrub typhus, 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 though 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 put on bug repellent, and see a doctor immediately if showing the above symptoms.
