International Journal of Medical and Health Research

Authors
Dr Debashish Parmar, Dr Deepika Vora, Dr Pragati Rathod, Dr Uday Narlawar

Abstract

Introduction: Rabies is a fatal viral disease of central nervous system caused byrnLyssavirus type 1. More than 99% of human cases is transmitted by domesticrndogs. Religious diversity, sociocultural practices, myth and belief associatedrnwith wound management, lack of accurate data and political will are hindrancesrnfor rabies control and prevention.

Aim & objectives: To study epidemiological profile of animal biterncases attending anti rabies clinic attached to Government medical College,rnNagpur and pretreatment practices adopted by them following animal bite.

Materials and Methods: The present cross sectional study was conducted atrnAnti-rabies vaccination (ARV) center of Government Medical College, Nagpur. Arntotal of 2537 animal bite cases were reported at the clinic from 1st Januaryrn2014 to 31^st December 2014 for post exposure prophylaxis out ofrnwhich 2120 patients participated in the (response rate of 83.56%). Permissionrnto carry out the study was obtained from the institutional ethical committee.rnPre-designed and pre-tested Performa was used to collect data regardingrnvariables including socio-demographic profile (like age, sex etc.); informationrnof anatomical site of bite, reporting time etc. Written informed consent wasrnsought.

Results: Majority of the study subjects were males i.e. 69% of the total cases;rnchildren under the age of 10 years (19.4%). 93.7% of cases reported were due torndog bite. Majority i.e. 1548 (73.1%) cases reported to the ARV clinic within 24rnhours of bite. On interviewing the patients regarding first aid/ local measuresrnconducted after the bite, more than half i.e. 55.2% of the victims reportedrnthat they had not taken any first aid measure for their injuries. Many strangernitems were reported as wound applicants as well.

Conclusions: Despite being one of the oldest recognized diseases known to man, mythsrnand misconceptions continue to surround Rabies. Although reporting to thernclinic after exposure was prompt, local wound treatment revealed very poorrnmanagement practices that need to be addressed immediately. It is recommendedrnthat seriousness of animal bites be reinforced in the minds of people and goodrnwound care taught to all patients and relatives so that awareness of localrntreatment improves in the population at large.