Study site and design
We used retrospective descriptive study through review of laboratory
registers across three health centres in Zhemgang district, south
central Bhutan. The laboratory registers have been transcribed into CSV
file using Microsoft excel. Variables of interest were collected from
the registers and then analysed using open statistical software R, (R
Core Team (2020). R: A language and environment for statistical
computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.) and
use of mStats package, (MyoMinnOo (2020). mStats: Epidemiological
DataAnalysis. R package version 3.4.0.)
Three health care centres included in the study lacks ELISA testing
facility. However the tests were done with SD
BiolineTsutsugamushiTestTM rapid diagnostic test (RDT)
kits in 2019 and Standard Q Tsutsugamushi IgM/IgG in 2020.The tests were
done with SD BiolineTsutsugamushiTestTM rapid
diagnostic test (RDT) kits in 2019 and Standard Q Tsutsugamushi IgM/IgG
rapid test kit in 2020which has underestimated sensitivity and
specificity in accuracy of test results.