Scrub typhus historical perspective

Severe epidemics of the disease occurred among troops in Burma and Ceylon during World War II (WWII).^[1] Several members of the U.S. Army’s 5307th Composite Unit (Merrill’s Marauders) died of the disease; and before 1944, there were no effective antibiotics or vaccines available.^[2][3]

World war II provides some indicators that the disease is endemic to undeveloped areas in all of Oceania in the Pacific Theater, although war records frequently lack assured diagnoses to desired by epidemiological statics—and many records of “high fever” evacuations were also likely to be other tropical illnesses. In the chapter entitled “The Green War”, General MacArthur‘s biographer William Manchester identifies that the disease was one of a number debilitating afflictions affecting both sides on New Guinea^[4] in the running bloody Kokoda battles over unbelievably harsh terrains under incredible hardships— fought during a six month span^[5] all along the Kokoda Track in 1942-43, and mentions that to be hospital evacuated, Allied soldiers (who cycled forces) had to run a fever of 102°F—and that sickness casualties outnumbered weapons inflicted casualties 5:1.^[4] Similarly, the illness was a casualty producer in all the jungle fighting of the land battles of New Guinea campaign and Guadalcanal campaign. Where the allies had bases, they could remove and cut back vegetation or use DDT as a prophylaxis area barrier treatment, so tick induced sickness rates in forces off the front lines was diminished.

The disease was also a problem for US troops stationed in Japan after WWII, and was variously known as “Shichitō fever” (by troops stationed in the Izu Seven Islands) or “Hatsuka fever” (Chiba prefecture).^[6]

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