Seven Deaths in Salyan Due to Scrub Typhus Amidst Kit Shortage

Kathmandu. In the last one month, seven people have died due to scrub typhus infection in various local levels of Salyan. Nepali Communist Party MP Ramesh Kumar Malla stated that the rate of infection is increasing rapidly, but there is an extreme shortage of testing kits in local health institutions. Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Tuesday, he drew the government's attention to not play with the health of citizens.

According to MP Malla, the outbreak of scrub typhus has increased in Darma, Kumakh, and Bagchaur rural municipalities of Salyan. In the last two months, 116 people have been confirmed infected out of 335 tested in Darma and Bagchaur alone. With 35 percent of those tested showing the disease, it is estimated that the actual number of infected people may be much higher than the government data. Although local levels have been corresponding with the federal and provincial governments for a month seeking necessary support for disease control and testing, there has been no concrete response. He stated that patients are at further risk due to the inability to diagnose the disease in time because of the lack of testing kits.