Salyan, Sept. 24 -- Seven people have died of scrub typhus in Salyan's Darma Rural Municipality in the past month, while the number of people testing positive for the bacterial infection has risen to 114.

Local health authorities are stepping up testing and treatment as the number of cases continues to rise.

Fifty-four people tested positive for scrub typhus during testing conducted over two days this week at health facilities in wards 1 and 5.

At the Darmakot Health Post in ward 1 on Tuesday, 222 people sought treatment and 160 were tested using rapid test kits. Thirty-seven tested positive, according to Yagya Bahadur Basnet, chief of the rural municipality's health section.

At the health facility in Dhakadam in ward 5 on Wednesday, ...