Assam: Covid-19 Hospital Closes Down After 29 People Test Positive For 'Scrub Typhus' In Guwahati

Guwahati: A Covid-19 hospital at Sarusajai in Guwahati has been ordered to close down temporarily by the Assam Health Department for 15 days upon the detection of scrub typhus in the hospital. Scrub typhus or bush typhus is a bacterial disease that is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larvel mites).

The DRDO had set up the hospital at a budget of Rs. 22 crores. The hospital was inaugurated on June 10.

As per reports, 29 cases of scrub typhus has been recorded in the hospital.

The victims of the bacterial disease include the superintendent of the hospital, Rajpratim Das, a few nurses and health workers and some of the Covid-19 patients that were admitted to the hospital.

The bacterial disease shares some of its symptoms with Chikungunya and often results in the death of the person infected. Patients infected with the disease have complained about having breathing problems, jaundice, vomiting, nausea, joint pain or shivering. Lumps have been recorded to develop on parts of the body such as neck, under-arms and hips in severe cases. The area of the insect bite on the skin also turns red. 

For precautionary measures, health experts have advised the spraying of permethrin and benzyl benzoate on clothes and bedding. A person suspected of having the disease must be immediately admitted to the hospital for early treatment.

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