[KoK! Health] The Return of Hiking and Ancestral Grave Visiting Season... "Beware of Tsutsugamushi Disease"

As autumn approaches, an increase in hikers and visitors paying respects at ancestral graves is expected, and there is advice to be cautious of Tsutsugamushi disease.

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According to Korea University Anam Hospital on the 9th, Tsutsugamushi disease is an acute febrile illness caused by infection from larval trombiculid mites. The larval trombiculid mites detect the scent of human breath and attach to the skin to feed on blood. During this process, the person becomes infected with Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria carried by the larval mites, leading to the onset of the disease.

The larval trombiculid mites mainly bite exposed areas such as the arms, legs, and neck, or moist parts of the skin. After an incubation period of 1 to 3 weeks, those infected with the Tsutsugamushi bacteria exhibit initial symptoms such as chills, high fever, and headache. Subsequently, symptoms like coughing, vomiting, muscle pain, abdominal pain, and sore throat appear, along with a rash over the entire body and a characteristic eschar at the bite site. The symptoms can resemble those of malaria, typhoid fever, dengue fever, leptospirosis, and others.

If diagnosed with Tsutsugamushi disease, treatment with antibiotics and symptomatic care is necessary. Since the disease is not transmitted between people, isolation is not required. In most cases without complications or severe symptoms, the high fever lasts for several days and then the patient recovers without treatment. However, the hospital emphasized that if not properly treated, complications such as meningitis, organ failure, sepsis, respiratory failure, or decreased consciousness can occur, potentially leading to death, so it should not be taken lightly.

Tsutsugamushi disease is more likely to infect those living in rural areas, engaged in agriculture, soldiers, or anyone frequently involved in outdoor activities in mountainous regions. During autumn hiking or ancestral grave visits, there is also a risk of infection from larval trombiculid mite bites, so caution is necessary.

The best way to prevent Tsutsugamushi disease is to avoid being bitten by larval trombiculid mites. Even if one has been infected before, reinfection is possible due to diverse antigenicity, and there is no preventive vaccine. Therefore, during outdoor activities in autumn, precautions should be taken to avoid exposure to trombiculid mites.

Professor Seo Jin-woong of the Infectious Diseases Department at Korea University Anam Hospital advised, "During outdoor activities or work in autumn, it is advisable to minimize skin exposure by wearing long-sleeved clothing and long socks and to use tick repellents to reduce exposure to larval trombiculid mites. If infection is suspected, promptly consulting a specialist for accurate differentiation and diagnosis and receiving appropriate treatment can alleviate symptoms and prevent complications, minimizing harm caused by the infection."