The Tomb Sweeping Festival is fast approaching.When people sweep a grave and make an offer to ancestors, they often need to go into bush areas where chiggers multiply.Therefore, the Taiwan Center for Disease Control （Taiwan CDC） urges the public to take precautions against scrub typhus when sweeping graves.

Scrub typhus is endemic in the tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, and the rickettsia parasite is transmitted to humans via the bite of infected chiggers.According to the analysis of epidemic data over the years, the distribution of scrub typhus cases has covered all counties and cities in Taiwan with the offshore islands of Kinmen and Penghu and the mountainous counties of Hualian and Taitung being the high risk areas. Scrub typhus cases are reported throughout the year in Taiwan, which usually begin to increase during April and May and peak in July.As of March 18, 2011, a total of 27 scrub typhus cases have been confirmed in Taiwan (62 scrub typhus cases were confirmed during the same period last year and a total of 402 cases were reported last year). Most cases occur in adults over the age of 20.

Scrub typhus is transmitted by chiggers.The chiggers like to stay at the tips of the weeds, waiting for an opportunity to attach to passing humans or animals.Therefore, the chance of becoming infected with scrub typhus is much higher when people walk through bush areas. After being bitten by the chigger, an eschar will form over the bite, and the incubation period ranges from 9 to 12 days. Subsequently, symptoms such as high fever, headache conjunctiva congestion and swelling or inflammation of the lymph gland will begin to develop.After having had fever for about 1 week, a dark red papule will appear in the trunk, spread to extremities, and disappear after several days. If scrub typhus is not treated properly, its mortality rate can be as high as 60%.

As the Tomb Sweeping Festival is upon us, Taiwan CDC would like to remind the public to take precautions against scrub typhus.Scrub typhus transmission occurs most frequently in people visiting chigger-infested areas such as bush areas.Some of the prevention measures for scrub typhus include avoiding unnecessary visits to bush areas, and wearing protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts and pants and applying insect repellents to exposed skin to prevent chigger bites when visiting bush areas. If suspicious symptoms develop, please seek medical advice immediately and inform the doctor of your travel history to serve as a reference for clinical diagnosis.

For more information on scrub typhus, please visit the Taiwan CDC’s website: http://www.cdc.gov.tw/ or call the toll-free Communicable Disease Reporting and Consultation Hotline, 1922.