Officials asked to set up task force to prevent spread of Scrub Typhus

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu directed the health officials to set up a task force comprising national-level medical experts to study and prevent the spread of Scrub Typhus disease in the State.

In a review meeting on Tuesday, health officials informed the Chief Minister that the State reported 1,592 cases so far and that there was no confirmed deaths due to the disease. They told him that Chittoor leads other districts with 420 cases.

The officials also told him that the disease was spread across the country, and A.P. stood in eighth position with regard to cases.

In response, the Chief Minister directed them to constitute a task force and intensify awareness programmes to arrest the spread of the disease. Responding to the officials’ statement that the State reported a drop in dengue and malaria cases this year, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu stressed the need for bringing the seasonal disease caseload to the zero level.