Scientists Warn Against Ignoring Tick-Borne Infections Amid Focus On Water-Borne Diseases

As India’s current disease surveillance systems remain heavily focused on mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria, the country may be heading towards a major but under-recognised public health crisis—ticks and tick-borne diseases (TTBDs), scientists have warned.

They said climate change, rapid environmental shifts, expanding livestock movement, and increasing human interaction with wildlife, altering India’s disease landscape, are fuelling the spread of these deadly TTBDs across the states.

Data speaks. Globally, the economic burden of tick-borne diseases is estimated at nearly USD 14–19 billion annually. In India alone, economic losses caused by ticks and TTBDs are estimated at a whopping Rs 46,199 crore every year (around USD 595 million), severely affecting livestock productivity, animal health, dairy production, and rural livelihoods.

The researchers, in their review published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), are now calling for an urgent nationwide surveillance system under a “One Health” framework to monitor TTBDs, warning that the absence of coordinated surveillance could lead to serious health and economic consequences.

The warning comes at a time when several tick-borne infections—including Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Lyme disease, Indian tick typhus, tick-borne relapsing fever, and Q fever—are increasingly being reported from different parts of the country.

Scientists caution that India’s current disease surveillance systems remain heavily focused on mosquito-borne illnesses, while tick-borne infections often receive attention only during outbreaks.

The review, titled ‘Ticks and tick-borne diseases: A call for comprehensive tick surveillance in India under One Health approach,’ has described TTBDs as an emerging but neglected threat affecting humans, livestock, wildlife, and ecosystems simultaneously.

“Ticks are not merely parasites. They act both as vectors and reservoirs of dangerous pathogens capable of causing serious disease in humans and animals,” warned the lead author, Srikanta Ghosh, working at the Department of Parasitology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute-Eastern Regional Station, Kolkata.

India’s vast ecological diversity supports more than 100 species of ticks spread across 15 agro-climatic zones, making surveillance particularly challenging. Scientists say this diversity means that a “one-size-fits-all” strategy cannot work.

The concern has intensified as diseases once confined to limited geographical regions are now expanding into newer territories. KFD, historically restricted largely to Karnataka, has spread into neighbouring states, including Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Similarly, outbreaks of CCHF have been reported from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Researchers say climate change is significantly altering the ecology of ticks. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, increasing humidity, and changing vegetation are extending both the geographical range and breeding seasons of ticks.

“Climate-driven redistribution of ticks is becoming a growing public health challenge. The risk is no longer confined to traditional endemic regions,” said study co-authors Rinesh Kumar from the Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh; H.V. Manjunathachar from ICMR National Institute of Traditional Medicine, Belagavi, Karnataka; and Binod Kumar, associated with the Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Kishanganj, Bihar.

Of particular concern is the possibility that several pathogens circulating within tick populations may still remain unidentified. Re-emerging infections such as human babesiosis, Ganjam virus, and Bhanja virus infections suggest that India may be facing pathogens that remain poorly understood or undetected.

The scientists warned that India’s preparedness remains weak at multiple levels—from diagnostics and surveillance to treatment awareness and vector control.

Tick-borne infections frequently present with non-specific symptoms such as fever, headache, and body pain, closely resembling other common infections. This often results in delayed diagnosis and underreporting.

“There is low awareness among clinicians and communities, which frequently leads to missed or delayed diagnosis,” the researchers observed.

The review also highlighted growing resistance to acaricides—anti-tick chemicals widely used in livestock. Studies have shown that several Indian tick populations are becoming resistant to multiple chemical compounds because of excessive and irrational use.

Experts warn that this not only reduces treatment effectiveness but also increases environmental contamination and chemical residues in milk and animal products.

The scientists have recommended establishing a dedicated national TTBD surveillance task force integrating human health, veterinary sciences, wildlife monitoring, and environmental surveillance under the One Health approach.

The proposed system would involve region-specific tick mapping, molecular screening of pathogens, monitoring of acaricide resistance, development of reference laboratories, and integration with existing systems such as the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS).

Dr. Ghosh stressed that India urgently needs long-term coordinated surveillance. “There is an urgent need for region-specific data on tick species prevalence, pathogen diversity, and patterns of acaricide resistance through a sustained national surveillance programme,” he said.

Scientists say the lack of surveillance may ultimately prove costlier than investing in prevention now.

Countries including the United States, Canada, China, and several European nations have already established integrated surveillance systems combining ecological monitoring, laboratory testing, and community reporting.

Researchers believe India, where nearly 65–70% of the population still lives in rural areas with close livestock contact, remains particularly vulnerable.

Experts also stressed the importance of community awareness. During outbreaks of Kyasanur Forest Disease in Kerala, coordinated campaigns involving ASHA workers, veterinary teams, schools, and forest departments significantly improved early reporting and preventive behaviour.

The scientists argued that investing in surveillance now could prevent much larger economic and health crises in the future.

“A science-driven national surveillance network would help bridge major information gaps, strengthen outbreak preparedness, improve diagnostics, guide policymaking, and reduce the burden of tick-borne diseases on both public health and livestock,” the review stated.

The researchers cautioned that without coordinated surveillance, India risks remaining reactive rather than preventive in dealing with a growing vector-borne threat that is increasingly shaped by climate change, ecological disruption, and evolving disease patterns.