Sadasivan Abhishek, Singh Pallavi, Katre Rohit, Bhadoria Ajeet Singh, Saxena Vartika
Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.
Department of Community Medicine, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (MMIMSR), Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2025 May;14(5):2007-2012. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1968_24. Epub 2025 May 31.
Rabies is a viral disease caused by Lyssavirus type 1, primarily affecting warm-blooded animals, especially carnivores like dogs and cats. It is classified as a neglected tropical disease and is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. Rabies spreads through saliva, typically via bites or scratches from infected animals, and 95% of global rabies deaths occur in Africa and Asia. In India, around 6-7 million animal bites are reported annually, with dogs responsible for 95% of rabies cases.
The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical - social profile of animal bite cases attending outpatient departments at a rural health facility in a northern hilly state of India. The objective of the study was to study the epidemiological characteristics of animal bite cases attending the outpatient department.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a rural health facility under the Department of Community and Family Medicine in a northern hilly state of India. All cases of animal bites who were presented at the health care facility were enumerated and were contacted by telephone to obtain information after obtaining verbal consent.
A total of 63 cases of animal bites presented to the outpatient clinic at a rural health facility were included in the study. Most animal bite victims (58.8%) had category III bites. 76.2% had taken a full course of anti-rabies vaccination as suggested by the healthcare provider at the facility, while 22.2% had left the vaccination in between.
The findings indicate that while rabies is preventable with appropriate medical intervention, gaps in knowledge regarding rabies transmission and PEP protocols persist among the local population.
狂犬病是由1型狂犬病病毒引起的病毒性疾病，主要影响温血动物，尤其是狗和猫等食肉动物。它被归类为被忽视的热带病，一旦出现症状几乎总是致命的。狂犬病通过唾液传播，通常是通过受感染动物的咬伤或抓伤传播，全球95%的狂犬病死亡发生在非洲和亚洲。在印度，每年报告约600 - 700万起动物咬伤事件，其中95%的狂犬病病例由狗引起。
本研究的目的是评估印度北部一个山区农村卫生机构门诊就诊的动物咬伤病例的临床 - 社会概况。该研究的目标是研究门诊就诊的动物咬伤病例的流行病学特征。
这项描述性横断面研究在印度北部一个山区社区和家庭医学部下属的农村卫生机构进行。在获得口头同意后，对所有到该医疗机构就诊的动物咬伤病例进行了统计，并通过电话联系以获取信息。
本研究纳入了农村卫生机构门诊就诊的63例动物咬伤病例。大多数动物咬伤受害者（58.8%）为III级咬伤。76.2%的患者按照该机构医护人员的建议完成了全程狂犬病疫苗接种，而22.2%的患者中途中断了疫苗接种。
研究结果表明，虽然狂犬病可通过适当的医疗干预预防，但当地人群在狂犬病传播和暴露后预防（PEP）方案方面的知识仍存在差距。
