New Delhi: Indian health authorities have solved the mystery of an illness that infected thousands and left more than 100 people dead in Uttar Pradesh. The fever has been identified as two separate diseases, one caused by bacteria, and the other by virus. The cases have been identified as infections with scrub typhus and dengue.
Combined together, the diseases have killed more than 100 people in the most populous state of India in just a couple of weeks. Out of these, at least 40 of the victims were children.
Scrub typhus is a bacterial fever that spreads through the bites from larval mites and chiggers found in bushes. Its symptoms include fever, rashes, inflammation of the nervous system that can cause confusion and coma.
On the other hand, dengue is a viral infection that spreads through the bites of female Aedes mosquitoes. Patients witness fever, muscle, and joint pain. The platelet count of the patient drops significantly, leading to internal bleeding and possible death.
Earlier on August 18, Uttar Pradesh authorities recorded the first reported case of mysterious fever in Firozabad. The district is the worst hit till now.