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Background
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Scrub Typhus is an infectious disease that is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (formerly Rickettsia), a tiny parasite about the size of bacteria that belongs to the family Rickettsiaceae. A bite from the larval trombiculid mite, a parasite of rodents, will transmit the disease. An ulcer of the skin is characteristic of a bite from a trombiculid mite, followed by symptoms including fever, a spotted rash on the torso, and swelling of the lymph glands. Scrub typhus generally occurs after exposure to areas with secondary (scrub) vegetation, which is where its name is derived from. However, the disease can also be prevalent in sandy, mountainous, and tropical areas. Scrub Typhus is a world wide illness, but particular to South East Asia and the Western Pacific. It accounts for approximately 20% of fever in some regions in South East Asia, where it is endemic. Illness lasts for a period of 10 to 12 days after the initial bite. With therapy, the fever will break within 36 hours, but if left untreated, complications or death may occur.
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