IGMC Shimla records Third Scrub Typhus Death, health advisory issued
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh health department has issued an advisory on scrub typhus disease following the season's third death reported at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla.
The latest victim, 34-year-old Saroj, was referred from Civil Hospital Rohru with severe sepsis and septic shock. She was admitted to IGMC on August 8, 2025, and tested positive for scrub typhus the next day.
Despite intensive care in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), she died at around 3:00 PM on August 10.
Dr. Rahul Rao, Medical Superintendent of IGMC, said the immediate cause of death was sepsis with septic shock, caused by scrub typhus. Earlier, two other patients had died of the disease at the hospital this season, news agency UNI reported.
Testing at IGMC shows a worrying trend. As of August 6, 29 samples had been tested, with six positives. Today, out of four samples tested, three were positive.
Scrub typhus is endemic in Himachal Pradesh and, if untreated, can damage internal organs and prove fatal. Chief Medical Officer of Shimla district, Dr. Yashpal Ranta, has urged people not to ignore symptoms such as high fever, body stiffness, cramps, lumps in the neck or arms, and severe pain.
The disease is transmitted through the bite of mites infected with Orientia tsutsugamushi, which thrive in bushes, grass, gardens, and on rats. Dr. Ranta advised covering arms and legs when visiting fields or forests, bathing and changing clothes immediately on return, maintaining household cleanliness, removing weeds, controlling rats, and spraying insecticides.
Free treatment for scrub typhus is available at all government health facilities in the Shimla district. Health authorities stress that early testing and treatment are key to preventing deaths from this seasonal disease.
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