One-year descriptive analysis of patients treated at an anti-rabies clinic - a retrospective study from Kashmir

Abstract

BackgroundDog bites in humans are a major public health problem in India in general and Kashmir in particular. Canine rabies is almost non-existent in developed countries and exists mainly in the poorer, low socioeconomic strata of society in the developing world. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics, pattern, and burden of dog bite injuries in the Kashmir valley.\n\nMethodology and principal findingsData from Anti-Rabies Clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, was collated and analyzed. Analysis of records of all the patients who had reported between April 2016 and March 2017 was done. A total of 6172 patients had reported to the Anti-Rabies Clinic for management of animal bites from 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2017. Most of the patients were young males. Almost half (47.7%) of the patients were bitten in the afternoon. Lower limbs were the most common site of bite (71.7%). Most of the bites were of Category III (57.6%) followed by Category II (42.3%); only one case of Category I was recorded. Almost all (98.0%) cases reported being bitten by dogs.\n\nConclusionsCategory III dog bites on lower limbs are the most common type of animal bites. Children have more chances of a bite on head and neck region. Serious and workable efforts have to be made to reduce the incidence and consequences of animal bites.\n\nAuthor summaryIn Kashmir, dog bite is an important public health problem. Thousands of people become victims of an animal bite, especially dog bite, and some of them develop rabies. Rabies is an invariably fatal viral disease resulting in approximately 59 000 human deaths per year globally, with 95% of cases occurring in Africa and Asia. The only way to prevent a rabies death is vaccination of an animal bite victim. In Kashmir, the burden and characteristics of dog bites are not routinely captured by the health system in place. We, therefore, attempted to find out the burden and characteristics of animal bite victims by analyzing one-year data from an Anti-Rabies Clinic at a tertiary care hospital in Kashmir. We found that 98% of the patients registered at the clinic during the period were victims of a dog bite. The victims were mostly young males but females and children were not shown any mercy either. Lower limbs were the most favorite site of the bite. Our analysis of the data also revealed that children under 15 years were more prone to a bite in the head and neck region. We concluded that the burden of animal bites, especially dog bites, is huge in Kashmir and recommended that serious efforts directed towards immunizing and decreasing the stray dog population need to be put into practice to decrease the number of animal bite victims and prevent any rabies deaths.