The office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Lunglei District today organized an Awareness Campaign on Rickettsial Infections Including Scrub Typhus at the I&PR Conference Hall, Bazar Veng, Lunglei. The program was attended by local media persons and officials of the Healthy & Family Welfare and Information & Public Relations Department.

Resource Persons Dr Thani Pachuau, CMO and DR RSC Vanlalruati, Microbiologist gave lectures on Rickettsial infections, the causative agents, modes of transmission and various risk factors linked to scrub typhus infections. The Chief Medical Officer stressed that Mizoram (and India as a whole) being located within the endemic belt of scrub typhus makes people especially prone to contracting the infection. According to the Mizoram Health Department data, scrub typhus, a mite borne infectious disease has claimed 43 lives in Mizoram since 2012, with 3808 confirmed cases of infection as on 7th May, 2019.

Speaking about the January 2018 scrub typhus outbreak at Haulawng village in Lunglei District, the CMO stated that a Joint Investigation was conducted with experts from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi who confirmed through ELISA Test that the outbreak was indeed a Scrub Typhus outbreak. She also stated that the State Government is currently taking initiatives to make the Weil Felix Test Kit available at all Government run hospitals within the State. Addressing the media persons, the CMO stressed their critical role in educating the public and sought their cooperation in making the masses aware of the signs, symptoms and precautionary measures that can be taken to prevent scrub typhus infections.  

Today’s program was chaired by Ms C. Lalremruati, District Information and Public Relations Officer, Lunglei District. After a lively Question & Answer session, the program ended with a vote of thanks from Mr H. Lalthangliana, Health Educator, CMO Office, Lunglei.