A 39-year-old man has become the fifth suspected case of Tsutsugamushi Disease (also known as scrub typhus), the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement on Friday.
The statement noted that the man is a local resident, who started to show symptoms of a painful swelling in his armpit and a fever on Tuesday, after which he sought treatment at the public Conde de S. Januário Hospital Centre. The statement added that a bean-sized eschar was found in his armpit during a medical check. Based on the symptoms, the patient was diagnosed with scrub typhus. He recovered on Thursday after treatment, according to the statement.
The statement stressed that the patient had walked through a grassland during the incubation period. He told the Health Bureau that his roommates and colleagues did not develop similar symptoms, according to the statement.
The statement pointed out that the symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, muscle pain, and rashes, as well as a painless eschar, which appears in the place where sufferers have been bitten by a mite. The statement added that some patients may come down with serious complications, such as pneumonia and meningitis which in serious cases can cause respiratory failure and even death. The statement stressed that taking antibiotics is the only treatment for the disease.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, scrub typhus is caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi through the bite of infected chiggers (aka larval mites).
In order to prevent scrub typhus, the bureau urged residents to maintain good personal hygiene by showering and changing clothes frequently. Residents should also shower their pets to remove any fleas and check their bedding regularly. In addition, residents should wear long-sleeved clothing, put on insect repellent with DEET and avoid entering grasslands when walking or working outdoors. The bureau also urged residents to see a doctor immediately if they show symptoms of the disease.
