Re-emergence of scrub typhus in northeast India

Scrub typhus, a rickettsial disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is prevalent in Southeast Asia, including India. There were reports of scrub typhus outbreaks in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and West Bengal during 2003–2004 and 20071 and in Pondicherry during 2006–2008.2 In northeast India (longitude 89.46°–97.30° E and latitude 21.57°–29.30° N), the last case of scrub typhus was reported from the Ledo region of Assam state in 1945.3 Northeast India has a predominantly humid sub-tropical climate, with hot, humid summers, severe monsoons, and mild winters.