This number is likely to be rather too low than too high, since of the 6432 deaths from spotted fever many were probably really from plague, though not declared so to avoid painful restrictions.
The group includes epidemic and endemic typhus fevers, tick-borne typhus, scrub typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
It may be triggered by other infections, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever or ringworm.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick-borne illness caused by a bacteria, resulting in a high fever and a characteristic rash.