Thai health ministry warns of scrub typhus

BANGKOK: -- The Public Health Ministry has issued a warning to tourists to beware of scrub typhus and recommended a person see a doctor if he/she developed high fever within two weeks of having visited a forest.

Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, permanent secretary of Public Health, said on Sunday the cooler weather currently being felt in Thailand had prompted many people to take a holiday in forest areas.

They were being recommended to take precautions against scrub typhus which was widespread during the transition period between the rainy and cold seasons, according to the senior doctor.

One prevention measure against scrub typhus, the doctor added, was to avoid chigger bites. Chiggers are commonly found in forest and mountain areas.

Common symptoms of scrub typhus include high fever, severe headaches, fatigue and muscle pain.

Around 30–40 per cent of scrub typhus patients also developed an eschar, or mark, on chigger bites, which was the most distinctive symptom of scrub typhus, according to Dr. Prat.

Around 20–50 per cent of patients also experienced some complications including lung and brain infection, which could cause death in serious cases.

Dr. Thawat Suntharcharn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, reported from January to September 2007, there were 2,449 scrub typhus patients recorded nationwide, but no fatalities. The disease claimed four lives in 2005.

--TNA 2007-12-02

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