Rickettsial diseases

There are no vaccines available for rickettsial infections.

No prophylactic medication is recommended to prevent rickettsial infections except in highly selected populations. For example, military personnel operating in highly endemic regions for scrub typhus are often given doxycycline prophylactically.

Insect repellents or acaricide agents (e.g., DEET [N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide]) can be sprayed onto clothing prior to entering an environment containing mites, ticks, and lice.

Rickettsial diseases are notifiable in some countries.

There is no person-to-person spread of rickettsial infections. Secondary prevention is required in the very rare situation of epidemic (louse-borne) typhus where infected human body lice from one person can move to another person and infect them. Prevention involves disinfecting all the louse-infected person's clothing and the thorough washing of the person, including the hair.