Incubation period of diseases with
causative organism
Disease Causative organism Incubation period
Chicken pox Human (alpha) herpes virus 3 14-16 days
Measles (Rubeonella) RNA paramyxovirus 10-14 days
Rubella (German Measles) RNA Togavirus 14-21 days
Mumps RNA Myxovirus 14-21 days
Influenza Orthomyxovirus 18-72 hours
Diphtheria Corynebacterium diphtheriae 2-6 days
Pertussis (whooping cough) Bordetella pertussis 7-14 days
Meningococcal meningitis Neisseria meningitis 3-4 days
SARS Corona virus 3-5 days
Tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis Weeks-years
Poliomyelitis poliovirus 7-14 days
Hepatitis A Enterovirus 72 (picornavirus) 15-45 days
Hepatitis B Hepadna virus 45-180 days
Hepatitis C Hepacvirus 30-120 days
Cholera Vibrio cholerae 1-2 days
Typhoid fever Salmonella typhi 10-14 days
Staphylococcal food poisoning Staphylococcus aureus 1-6 hours
Ascariasis Ascariasis lumbricoides 2 months
Ancylostomiasis (Hookworm) A.Duodenale 5 weeks -9 months
Malaria Plasmodium vivax 8-17 days
Plasmodium falciparum 9-14 days
Plasmodium malarae 18-40 days
Plasmodium ovale 16-18 days
Lymphatic filariasis Wucchereria bancrofti 8-16 months
Rabies Lyssavirus type 1 3-8 weeks
(Rhabdovirus)
Yellow fever Flavivirus fibricus 2-6 days
Japaneses encephalitis Group B arbovirus (flavivirus) 5-15 days
KFD Arbovirus (flavivirus) 3-8 days
Chikungunya fever Chikungunyavirus (arbovirus A) 4-7 days
Leptospirosis Leptospira interrogans 4-20 days
Bubonic plague Yersinia pestis 2-7 days
Pneumonic plague Yersinia pestis 1-3 days
Septicemic plague Yersinia pestis 2-7 days
Scrub typhus Rickettsia tsutsugamushi 10-12 days
Q fever Coxiella brunetti 2-3 weeks
Taeniasis (Tapeworm) T.solium, T.saginata 8-14 weeks
Leishmaniasis L.donovani 1-4 months
Trachoma Chlamydia trachomatis 5-12 days
tetanus Clostridium tetani 6-10 days
Yaws Treponema pertenue 3-5 weeks
HIV/AIDS HIV/HTLV-lll/LAV Months-10 years
Swine flu H1N1 type A influenza 1-4 days
causative organism
Disease Causative organism Incubation period
Chicken pox Human (alpha) herpes virus 3 14-16 days
Measles (Rubeonella) RNA paramyxovirus 10-14 days
Rubella (German Measles) RNA Togavirus 14-21 days
Mumps RNA Myxovirus 14-21 days
Influenza Orthomyxovirus 18-72 hours
Diphtheria Corynebacterium diphtheriae 2-6 days
Pertussis (whooping cough) Bordetella pertussis 7-14 days
Meningococcal meningitis Neisseria meningitis 3-4 days
SARS Corona virus 3-5 days
Tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis Weeks-years
Poliomyelitis poliovirus 7-14 days
Hepatitis A Enterovirus 72 (picornavirus) 15-45 days
Hepatitis B Hepadna virus 45-180 days
Hepatitis C Hepacvirus 30-120 days
Cholera Vibrio cholerae 1-2 days
Typhoid fever Salmonella typhi 10-14 days
Staphylococcal food poisoning Staphylococcus aureus 1-6 hours
Ascariasis Ascariasis lumbricoides 2 months
Ancylostomiasis (Hookworm) A.Duodenale 5 weeks -9 months
Malaria Plasmodium vivax 8-17 days
Plasmodium falciparum 9-14 days
Plasmodium malarae 18-40 days
Plasmodium ovale 16-18 days
Lymphatic filariasis Wucchereria bancrofti 8-16 months
Rabies Lyssavirus type 1 3-8 weeks
(Rhabdovirus)
Yellow fever Flavivirus fibricus 2-6 days
Japaneses encephalitis Group B arbovirus (flavivirus) 5-15 days
KFD Arbovirus (flavivirus) 3-8 days
Chikungunya fever Chikungunyavirus (arbovirus A) 4-7 days
Leptospirosis Leptospira interrogans 4-20 days
Bubonic plague Yersinia pestis 2-7 days
Pneumonic plague Yersinia pestis 1-3 days
Septicemic plague Yersinia pestis 2-7 days
Scrub typhus Rickettsia tsutsugamushi 10-12 days
Q fever Coxiella brunetti 2-3 weeks
Taeniasis (Tapeworm) T.solium, T.saginata 8-14 weeks
Leishmaniasis L.donovani 1-4 months
Trachoma Chlamydia trachomatis 5-12 days
tetanus Clostridium tetani 6-10 days
Yaws Treponema pertenue 3-5 weeks
HIV/AIDS HIV/HTLV-lll/LAV Months-10 years
Swine flu H1N1 type A influenza 1-4 days
