Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is a disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi. Scrub typhus is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The most common symptoms of scrub typhus include fever, headache, body aches and sometimes rash. Most cases of scrub typhus occur in rural areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan, India and northern Australia. Anyone living in or traveling to areas where scrub typhus is found could get infected and there is no vaccine to prevent this disease. AFRIMS scientists work across Southeast Asia to track the incidence of this disease.
The primary departments at AFRIMS involved with this research are Entomology and Veterinary Medicine. Click here to partner with us.