{"id":233009,"date":"2025-07-02T21:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T21:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/233009\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T21:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T21:36:11","slug":"british-mother-warns-of-deadly-scrub-typhus-after-thailand-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/233009\/","title":{"rendered":"British mother warns of deadly scrub typhus after Thailand trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A British mother<\/a> from North Yorkshire<\/strong>, England<\/strong>, issued a stark warning about the risk and dangers of catching a bacterial infection<\/strong> after her teenage daughter fell ill with alarming symptoms following a trip to Thailand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The infection, known as scrub typhus<\/a>, is often overlooked by travellers but can be life-threatening if not treated in time.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the family travelled to Thailand for the fourth time, having fallen in love with the country over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trip was more of an adventure than usual, and we travelled all over the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little did they know that their holiday would soon take a terrifying turn. Upon returning home, the British woman\u2019s 17 year old daughter began feeling unwell. Initially, they thought it was due to wisdom teeth coming in, as she was experiencing jaw and neck pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut within four days, she worsened, and I was in tears, begging dentists for help because I knew something wasn\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time they visited A&E, her daughter\u2019s symptoms had escalated. The teenager was admitted with suspected glandular fever, with her neck swollen and her skin taking on a slightly jaundiced tone. Doctors were alarmed at her liver function tests, which showed elevated levels, indicating potential liver failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told them we\u2019d returned from Thailand two weeks before she fell ill, so they sent blood samples for tropical disease testing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next few days were a blur of hospital visits, pain relief, and antibiotics, with the doctors unable to pinpoint the cause. After four days, they were sent home with an \u201copen pass\u201d to return if her condition worsened. Then, two weeks later, they received the shocking diagnosis: scrub typhus, a bacterial infection contracted from chigger mite bites, often unnoticed by those affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt turned out she\u2019d been bitten somewhere around Chiang Mai<\/a>. We didn\u2019t notice it at the time, but that\u2019s apparently common.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BritishPhoto of a chigger (mite) courtesy of The Indian Express<\/a> <\/p>\n

Scrub typhus, caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, can lead to severe complications, including organ failure, if not treated with the correct antibiotics, typically doxycycline, according to the National Library of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want anyone travelling to northern Thailand<\/a> to be aware that it\u2019s not just dengue fever you need to watch out for. Scrub typhus is also a risk,\u201d the mother said in her Facebook post to the group Thailand Travel Advice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The teenager\u2019s symptoms included extremely swollen lymph nodes in the neck, fever, constant pain, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re travelling in that region, please be vigilant about any unusual symptoms and don\u2019t hesitate to seek medical advice or mention recent travel history,\u201d the mother urged. \u201cIt could make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

While scrub typhus is treatable, the fatality rate can be as high as 20% if untreated, with early diagnosis critical for recovery.<\/p>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

The case highlights an important risk for travellers to Thailand, especially in areas like Chiang Mai, where scrub typhus outbreaks have been reported among military personnel. While the infection is treatable, there is currently no vaccine, making awareness and prevention vital for those exploring Thailand\u2019s rural landscapes.<\/p>\n

Latest Thailand News<\/a>
\n Home<\/a>\/News<\/a>\/Thailand News<\/a>\/British mother warns of deadly scrub typhus after Thailand tripChiang Mai News<\/a>Health<\/a>Thailand News<\/a>Tourism News<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A British mother from North Yorkshire, England, issued a stark warning about the risk and dangers of catching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1881,91368,105,67133,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-233009","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-british","9":"tag-chiang-mai","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-infections","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114785798370123161","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}