Environmental, Occupational, and Demographic Risk Factors for Clinical Scrub Typhus, Bhutan

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Emerg Infect Dis
• Personal Author:
  Zangpo, Tandin ; Phuentshok, Yoenten ; Dorji, Kezang ; Dorjee, Chencho ; Dorjee, Sithar ; Jolly, Peter ; Morris, Roger ; Marquetoux, Nelly ; McKenzie, Joanna
• Description:
  Underdiagnosis and underreporting of scrub typhus has increasingly affected public health in Bhutan since its initial detection in 2008. Identifying scrub typhus risk factors would support early diagnosis and treatment for this nonspecific febrile disease, reducing the incidence of potentially fatal complications. We conducted a hospital-based, case‒control study during October‒December 2015 in 11 scrub typhus‒prone districts. We identified harvesting cardamom as the major risk factor (odds ratio 1,519; p<0.001); other factors were traditional housing, largely caused by an outside toilet location, as well as owning a goat and frequently sitting on grass. Harvesting vegetables, herding cattle in the forest, and female sex were protective. Age had a nonlinear effect; children and the elderly were more likely to seek treatment for clinical scrub typhus. This study has informed public health policies and awareness programs for healthcare workers through development of National Guidelines for Prevention, Treatment and Control of Scrub Typhus in Bhutan.
• Subjects:
  Animals Bacteria Bhutan Cardamom Case-Control Studies Case‒control Cattle Clinical Scrub Typhus Demographic Risk Factor Demography Environmental, Occupational, And Demographic Risk Factors For Clinical Scrub Typhus, Bhutan Environmental Risk Factor Epidemiology Female Occupational Risk Factor One Health Orientia Tsutsugamushi Research Risk Factors Scrub Typhus Vector-borne Infections Zoonoses

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• Source:
  Emerg Infect Dis. 2023; 29(5):909-918
• Pubmed ID:
  37081000
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10124658
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  5
• Collection(s):
  Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:519f81a57b90f481fa97c865bbc76f3ae1a4b91c4a10ab599e4ea6d0ca3a6a49
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/129097/cdc_129097_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.38 MB ]