Scrub typhus
Scrub typhus is a disease caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is in the rickettsia family. You can get the disease when bitten (usually painlessly) by an infected larval mite called Leptotrombidium deliense.
Risk areas in the Top End are described as locations near well-watered escarpment slopes that have creeks and seepage areas with monsoon forest and grasslands close by.
More than half of the reported cases were infected in Litchfield National Park.
Notifiable disease
All forms of typhus is a notifiable disease.
Information for health professionals
| Type | Resource | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Document | Scrub typhus fact sheet PDF (562.8 KB) | NT Health |
| Tropical Health Orientation Manual (THOM) 2025 for health practitioners in Northern Australia | Scrub typhus | Menzies |
Information for the public
| Type | Resource | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Webpage | Scrub typhus | NT Government |
| Map | Locations in the Northern Territory where scrub typhus cases were infected since 1996, by Statistical PDF (263.5 KB) Area Level 2 | NT Health |
Contact
Contact the Northern Territory’s Centre for Disease Control.
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