Results
In two years, from January 2019 to December 2020, a total of 922 tests
to scrub typhus were advised in three health centres in Zhemgang
District. The maximum age prescribed to the test was 94-year-old man in
Panbang Hospital while the minimum age prescribed to the test was 1
month old also prescribed in Panbang Hospital. The test results for both
of these cases were negative. The mean age for the tests prescribed in
all the three health centres combined was 36.1±17.9 for both the
genders.The mean age for women were slightly higher (37.03± 19.93)
compared to men (35.06 ± 19.5).
Of 922 samples tested, 49 % (n=452) were male while 51% (n=470) were
female. Of the total tests prescribed, 446 tests were prescribed in
Yebilaptsa Hospital, 324 were prescribed in Panbang Hospital and 152
were tested in Zhemgang Hospital. 62.3% of the tests were carried out
in 2019 which has drastically reduced the prescription by 2020
accounting to only 37.7%. The months of June, July, August and
September saw the highest tests being prescribed while the months of
December, January and February wereobserved with least number of tests
prescribed. Of the total tests prescribed, only 8.2% (n=76) were
confirmed to be positive. The descriptive summaries of the tests to the
scrub typhus for the two years are described in table 1.
Table 1Scrub Typhus Tests in Zhemgang District, as described by
individual variables in 2019 – 2020