The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) will soon conduct multicentric task force project research on rickettsial diseases. It has already invited proposals for the research and the broad areas covered under the research projects will include study on the prevalence, incidence and dynamics of transmission of the rickettsial diseases in India.

The ICMR study on rickettsial diseases is of great importance since it has affected many people from across the different states in India. Highest number of rickettsial disease in India has been documented from Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

“The aim behind initiating the research on rickettsial diseases is to gather database that can be used to study the diseases. As of now there is no available data to support anything on the rickettsial diseases. Moreover the reported numbers are an underestimate due to lack of community based data and non-availability of confirmatory laboratory tests,” senior scientist from ICMR Dr Arvind Nath said.

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