Scrub typhus causes severe organ failure in 14-year-old patient

A 14-year-old patient from Dien Bien, Vietnam, is in critical condition after contracting scrub typhus, a disease caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. The patient was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases after experiencing severe complications, including septic shock, pneumonia, acute kidney failure, and liver damage.

Medical staff identified a suspected mite bite lesion under the patient's chest, which helped guide the diagnosis. The patient currently requires mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, and blood filtration. While there has been a slight reduction in the need for oxygen support and vasopressors, the prognosis remains serious as the patient continues to run a fever and organ functions are recovering slowly.