Anugola: The Anugola district health authorities on Thursday dismissed reports that three people had died of scrub typhus in Palalahada over the past fortnight, saying only one case of the infection has so far been confirmed through the prescribed diagnostic test.
Anugola Chief District Medical and Public Health Officer (CDM&PHO) Dr Madan Mohan Pradhan termed the reports of three scrub typhus deaths “completely false” and appealed to people not to panic over unverified information.
According to reports, three persons from the Palalahada area, including Usha Nayak of Rajadang village, Jamuna Nayak of Rajadaga and Sumanta Sethy of Sanabagadari, had allegedly died after testing positive for scrub typhus.
Dr Pradhan, however, said only one scrub typhus case has been confirmed in Palalahada so far and the patient has fully recovered.
He said scrub typhus can be considered confirmed only after an ELISA test. The tests cited in the reports were conducted at private hospitals and clinics, including through rapid testing kits, which are not accepted by the government for confirmation of the infection, he said.
The CDM&PHO said the three deceased persons had underlying health conditions, including hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Hence, it cannot be established that scrub typhus caused their deaths without proper diagnostic confirmation, he added.
Dr Pradhan said health department teams are being deployed across the district whenever information about suspected scrub typhus cases is received. Private hospitals and clinics will also be advised to send samples to the district headquarters hospital for ELISA testing whenever their preliminary tests indicate possible infection.
He warned that strict action would be taken against private healthcare facilities if they declare scrub typhus cases positive without proper confirmation and thereby create panic among the public.
The health department has urged people to rely on officially confirmed test results and refrain from circulating unverified information about alleged scrub typhus deaths in Palalahada.
