Table 1.
Epidemiological characteristics of scrub typhus cases in Nepal, 2016*
| Variables | Male n (%); n = 163 |
Female n (%); n = 238 |
Total n (%); n = 401 |
p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years, median (IQR) | 24.0 (11.0–50.0) | 25.0 (17.0–39.0) | 25.0 (14.0–42.0) | 0.237 |
| Age group | ||||
| Below 10 | 37 (22.7) | 21 (8.8) | 58 (14.5) | < 0.001 |
| 10–19 | 37 (22.7) | 51 (21.4) | 88 (21.9) | |
| 20–29 | 19 (11.7) | 64 (26.9) | 83 (20.7) | |
| 30–39 | 16 (9.8) | 44 (18.5) | 60 (15.0) | |
| 40–49 | 11 (6.7) | 21 (8.8) | 32 (8.0) | |
| 50–59 | 28 (17.2) | 25 (10.5) | 53 (13.2) | |
| 60 and above | 15 (9.2) | 12 (5.0) | 27 (6.7) | |
| Children vs adults | ||||
| 15 years and below | 63 | 54 | 117 | 0.001 |
| Above 15 years | 100 | 184 | 284 | |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Brahmin/Chhetri | 72 (44.2) | 105 (44.1) | 177 (44.1) | 0.87 |
| Janajati/Aadhibasi | 74 (45.4) | 104 (43.7) | 178 (44.4) | |
| Madheshi | 5 (3.1) | 5 (2.1) | 10 (2.5) | |
| Dalit | 9 (5.5) | 18 (7.6) | 27 (6.7) | |
| Others | 3 (1.8) | 6 (2.5) | 9 (2.2) | |
| Month (seasonality) | ||||
| June | 12 (7.4) | 5 (2.1) | 17 (4.2) | 0.01 |
| July | 27 (16.6) | 29 (12.2) | 56 (14.0) | |
| August | 71 (43.6) | 93 (39.2) | 164 (41.0) | |
| September | 36 (22.1) | 69 (29.1) | 105 (26.2) | |
| October | 17 (10.4) | 41 (17.3) | 58 (14.5) | |
| Ecological region | ||||
| Mountain | 8 (4.9) | 2 (0.8) | 10 (2.5) | 0.03 |
| Hill | 28 (17.2) | 37 (15.5) | 65 (16.2) | |
| Terai | 127 (77.9) | 199 (83.6) | 326 (81.3) | |
| Administrative region | ||||
| Eastern | 12 (7.4) | 6 (2.5) | 18 (4.5) | 0.08 |
| Central | 75 (46.0) | 107 (45.0) | 182 (45.4) | |
| Western | 39 (23.9) | 56 (23.5) | 95 (23.7) | |
| Mid-Far West | 37 (22.7) | 69 (29.0) | 106 (26.4) | |
| Clinical outcome | ||||
| Cured | 157 (96.3) | 232 (97.5) | 389 (97.0) | 0.50 |
| Death (CFR) | 6 (3.7) | 6 (2.5) | 12 (3.0) | |
*Scrub typhus patients with complete line-listing information (n = 401) were included in this analysis
IQR Inter-quartile range; CFR Case fatality rate