Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji
A study has found that scrub typhus, an “under-recognised rickettsial re-emerging” infectious disease with the potential to cause life-threatening complications, is circulating across Goa, with nearly three in every 10 samples tested at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) testing positive over one year.
The new study has identified Tiswadi and Mormugao as the state’s leading hotspots, raising concerns over disease surveillance, early diagnosis and preparedness for an infection for which no human vaccine is
currently available.
Scrub typhus is transmitted by infected larval mites and can initially resemble dengue, malaria or leptospirosis. Untreated infection can cause severe bleeding, brain inflammation and multiple-organ
dysfunction.
The study has called for the “integration of scrub typhus diagnostics into routine investigation of fever” particularly during the monsoon and post-monsoon periods to improve early
detection and treatment.
The study, ‘Epidemiological Insights into Scrub Typhus in Goa’, was published in the International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health in October 2026.
Researchers analysed laboratory records at GMC between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025 and examined cases to identify the disease’s demographic, geographical and
seasonal patterns.
Of 3,071 samples tested, 2,815 were included in the final analysis after 256 records were excluded because of incomplete or untraceable information. Of the analysed samples, 827 tested positive, producing a positivity rate of 29.38 per cent.
North Goa recorded 513 positive samples out of 1,768 tested, a positivity rate of 29.02 per cent. South Goa reported 314 positives among 1,047 samples, with a slightly higher rate of 29.99 per cent. The authors said the comparable rates indicated circulation across
both districts.
The geographical analysis identified Tiswadi as the leading hotspot, with 222 positive cases among 667 samples and a positivity rate of 33.28 per cent.
Mormugao followed with 100 positive cases among 303 samples, giving a rate of 33 per cent. Ponda recorded 30.87 per cent (96/311), Sanguem 30.56 per cent (11/36), Salcete 29.02 per cent (74/255), Canacona 28.95 per cent (11/38), Sattari 27.75 per cent (58/209), Bardez 26.71 per cent (152/569), Pernem 25.60 per cent (32/125), Bicholim 24.87 per cent (49/197), Quepem 24.59 per cent (15/61) while Dharbandora had the lowest positivity rate at 16.28 per cent.
Men accounted for 533 positive cases (64.45 per cent), compared with 294 among women (35.55 per cent). Adults aged 18–60 accounted for 663 cases, or 80.17 per cent, while 126 cases (15.24 per cent) occurred among people over 60.
Children and adolescents below 18 accounted for 38 cases (4.59 per cent).
The researchers observed a seasonal concentration of cases during the monsoon, with transmission peaking between July and September, and September recording the highest number of positive cases. They linked the seasonal pattern to rainfall and vegetation growth, which may favour the activity of infected larval mites.
The findings have established a significant concern among patients tested at GMC, but they do not mean that 29.38 per cent of Goa’s population is infected. The hospital-based study covered one year and cannot determine the full community burden.
The researchers recommended for stronger surveillance, improved diagnostic capacity and more uniform case detection, particularly in South Goa in South Goa.
The study was conducted by Tripti U Gaunkar, Utkarsh K Betodkar and Anita S Estibeiro affiliated with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme under the Directorate of Health Services at Campal, Panaji; the Directorate of Health Services, and the Department of Microbiology, GMC.
