New Delhi – Health authorities in India have solved the mystery of a disease that has infected thousands of people and left more than 100 people dead in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The fever that confused the experts for two weeks has been identified as two different diseases, one caused by a bacterium and the other a virus.
ANI / Reuters
The cases have been identified as typhoid and dengue infections. Combined, they have killed more than 100 people and infected thousands in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state in just a couple of weeks. At least 40 of the victims have been children.
Uttar Pradesh officials report approximately 100 new cases of both fevers every day.
Scrub yphus is a bacterial fever that is spread through bite from larvae or larval mites found in bushes. Symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches, which then progress to rashes and inflammation of the nervous system that can lead to confusion and even coma.
Dengue is a viral infection that spreads through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Patients often suffer from fever, muscle and joint pain. In severe cases, as seen in recent outbreaks in India, the patient’s blood platelet count decreases significantly, leading to internal bleeding and possible death.
Uttar Pradesh authorities first reported cases of mysterious fever in Firozabad district on 18 August. As of Tuesday, the district was still the hardest hit, with 51 dead, including 40 children.
The disease has spread to at least five other districts of the state, including Agra, where the iconic Taj Mahal attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
State health officials went door-to-door to raise awareness of the latest threat to public health in an attempt to curb the spread.
Some Indian media reported that hospitals in the region were running out of beds and other resources to treat patients. The Times of India reported that at least 5,000 people were being treated at Firozabad district hospitals alone. There have been no statistical breakdowns by regional authorities on how many cases are believed to be scrub typhus and how many are dengue.
SANJAY KANOJIA / AFP / Getty
India faces dengue outbreaks almost every year, typically in the rainy monsoon season, when Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the virus breed at home and around homes with accumulated fresh water.
Tens of thousands of cases and dozens of deaths are reported most years ago, and Uttar Pradesh, with its 200 million inhabitants, is often affected. Millions of people live below the poverty line in the state, with poor levels of sanitation and health care contributing to the spread of the disease.