As the cases of scrub typhus have been rising in different parts of the country, hospitals in the eastern districts lack the necessary medical kit to test the disease.

Scrub typhus is a type of mite-borne infectious disease that is transmitted to humans from the bite of an infected chigger which could lead to death if untreated.

The Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences (BPKIHS) has set up a separate desk in view of growing infection of scrub typhus at the hospital’s paediatric department.

Dr Dinesh Dharel has been assigned to look after the cases of scrub typhus. He said the disease is transmitted to humans from animals but doesn’t transmit from human to human.

Though qualified doctors have been put on standby, there have been problems diagnosing the disease due to lack of test kit. The BPKIHS has been sending the blood samples to National Public Health Laboratory due to the shortage of kit, BPKIHS Director Dr Arbind Kumar Sinha said. The BPKIHS doctors have advised people to avoid walking barefoot and keep their surroundings free from bushes.

At least two children have died of scrub typhus in the eastern region in the past 30 days and five, of the total 11 cases reported, are undergoing treatment for the disease at the BPKIHS. The disease has been reported in Sankhuwasabha, Dhankuta, Bhojpur, Morang and Ilam districts. Likewise, 50 cases of scrub typhus have been reported in Chitwan and neighbouring districts in the last four months.