Scrub typhus in Nan province (Thailand): Seventeen years of data to understand the impact of land cover change.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by chigger mites (Leptotrombidium), is a major health problem in northern Thailand, particularly in Nan province. Land cover change, by altering the ecosystem, could affect the ecology of the vector and consequently the risk of scrub typhus transmission.

Methodology/principal findings

This study investigated the impact of land cover changes on scrub typhus transmission in 2.5 km buffer zones around each village of Nan Province between 2003 and 2019. Using the open land cover data of the European Spatial Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA CCI), we quantified land cover composition and land cover changes and integrated public health data on scrub typhus cases, as well as information on elevation, popu

SUBMITTER: Blache N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12469158 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature