Abstract
Scrub typhus is an endemic disease of Asian Pacific region, affecting about 1 million
people every year. Although it remarkably recovers with doxycycline, the mortality
in untreated cases may be as high as 40 to 45%. Owing to the lack of diagnostic facilities
for scrub typhus in most places, it is very important to recognize the clinical features.
A typical eschar is pathognomonic of the disease. However, this is very rare to be
found on the face, and hence can lead to confusions. We present the case of a boy
who presented three eschars on the upper lip and was diagnosed as a case of scrub
typhus. He responded dramatically with intravenous doxycycline and the eschars healed
spontaneously over the next 2 to 3 weeks.
Keywords
scrub typhus - eschar - rickettsia
