A 43-year-old male Filipino non-resident worker (NRW) who works as a gardener in Alto de Coloane (疊石塘山) has been diagnosed with Tsutsugamushi Disease (aka scrub typhus), the Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday.
This is the fourth suspected case of scrub typhus reported in Macau this year – and the second involving Filipino NRWs.
According to the statement, the patient, who had developed a fever on June 5, went to a private clinic for treatment recently, after which he sought medical treatment at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital as his fever continued. A peanut-sized eschar was found in his right groin.
An eschar is a slough or piece of dead tissue cast off from the surface of the skin.
The patient told doctors that neither his family nor colleagues had developed similar symptoms, adding that he had been working in a grassy area at his workplace, according to the statement, which pointed out that the patient had not travelled outside Macau recently.
According to the statement, scrub typhus is an acute infectious disease caused by bites from larval mites or chiggers carrying Rickettsia Tsutsugamushi. Rodents living in grasslands with high temperature, humidity and weeds are the most common reservoir of Rickettsia Tsutsugamushi.
Those suffering from scrub typhus may develop symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, and rashes, or show serious complications, such as pneumonia and meningitis which in serious cases can cause respiratory failure and death.
The bureau urged residents to abide by the following measures when engaged in outdoor activities: avoid crossing grassy or wooded areas by using footpaths whenever possible, wear long sleeves and use a bug repellent, have a shower and put on a change of clothes when arriving home after leaving susceptible areas where they could have been easily infected with the disease, and consult a doctor promptly if showing scrub typhus symptoms.
This undated file photo shows a chigger under a microscope.
– Photo courtesy of the US Missouri Department of Conservation
