The number of scrub typhus cases has been rising recently, with one person dying from the disease, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, advising people to take precautions against mites that cause the illness.
The CDC said that a woman died after being bitten by mites during a trip to Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), becoming the first scrub typhus fatality in the nation this year.
The woman experienced chills and fever at the end of April and sought treatment early last month, but showed no signs of recovery, the CDC said.
She received emergency treatment on May 7, but died two days later, it said.
As of June 5, the number of scrub typhus cases in the nation reached 117, with 27 cases in Taitung County, 24 cases in Hualien County and 20 cases in Penghu County, the CDC said.
The centers urged people to protect themselves against mites, which breed in scrubs and bite animals and humans, causing scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus.
The incubation period of scrub typhus is usually between nine and 12 days, and the symptoms include fever, headache and swollen lymph nodes.
In the absence of proper treatment, the mortality rate of scrub typhus could be as high as 60 percent, the CDC said.
With proper treatment, the fatality rate is lower than 5 percent, it added.
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