Mite-Induced Outbreak Emerges in North Carolina Parks

For the first time in history, an illness that may kill up to 70% of its victims has been discovered in the United States.

Possible Outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that a bacteria responsible for scrub typhus was found in mites inhabiting 50% of national parks in North Carolina.

This illness can be transmitted to humans through bites from infected mites, causing symptoms such as rashes and sores on the skin. In severe cases, it can also lead to heart and lung damage, which can be fatal.

The principal investigators of the research, from North Carolina State University, emphasized the need for further observation to determine if the illness spreads to other states.

While no cases have been reported among North Carolina residents, the number of bug-borne infections is increasing nationwide.

Disease carried by mites that kills up to 70% of sufferers is found in US for first time, CDC warns as bug-borne pathogens rise across America. Bacteria that causes scrub typhus has been detected in parks in North Carolina.
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Last month, it was reported that Florida and Texas had their first domestically transmitted cases of malaria in 20 years. Recently, the West Nile Virus has also spread to new towns in Connecticut and Ohio.

There are also concerns about the emergence of tick-borne illnesses like babesiosis, which has a fatality rate of one in five.

Remember the good old days of the killer hornets! Disease carried by mites that kills up to 70 PERCENT of sufferers is found in US for first time, CDC warns – as bug-borne pathogens rise across Americahttps://t.co/ojhAGPvvzh pic.twitter.com/ORK005NZQR

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Dr. Kaiying Chen, an entomologist at North Carolina State University and principal investigator of the study, stated that this is the first time scrub typhus has been found in an autonomous chigger [mite] in the US.

Scrub typhus is typically found in the Tsutsugamushi Triangle, a region stretching from Pakistan to eastern Russia and Australia, where it causes a million infections annually.

This is Scary

Projections indicate that this disease could lead to up to 60,000 deaths each year. However, timely administration of therapies, such as the antibiotic doxycycline, has kept the number of fatalities low by preventing the illness from progressing to later stages.

This article appeared in Conservative Cardinal and has been published here with permission.