A 13-year-old-girl of Kalika-6 in Chitwan district died of scrub typhus during treatment at Chitwan Medical College (CMC) on Tuesday. 

Dr Dayaram Lamsal, the CMC director, said the girl was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of fever two months ago. She was later diagnosed with scrub typhus.

Chitwan district alone has witnessed 309 cases of scrub typhus in the last six months.

In the same period, nine people have died of the disease.

Dr Gunanidhi Sharma, deputy health administrator at the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, said scrub typhus has killed people in Chitwan, Sankhuwasabha, Kailali, Bhojpur, Tanahun and Gulmi districts. Scrub typhus, a bacterial disease caused by intracellular

parasite Orientia tsutsugamushi, is transmitted to humans and rodents by some species of trombiculid mites (‘chiggers’, Leptotrombidium deliense and others).

Doctors say the disease could affect the patients’ lungs and brains if not

treated properly.

29 affected in 3 months

PARSA: At least 29 cases of scrub typhus were diagnosed in Birgunj, Parsa, in the last three months.

The disease was found among the people from Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi and other neighbouring districts, said Dr Atindra Mishra of National Medical College.

Four scrub typhus patients have been admitted to the medical college since last week.

Dr Mishra said a girl from Rautahat had died of the disease during treatment two months ago.

Two scrub typhus patients had died last year, he added.