ABSTRACT
Background: It is widely recognized that rabies is grossly under-reported even though it is a notifiable disease and a lack of accurate figures has rendered rabies a low public health and veterinary priority. This study aimed at determining the incidence of dog bite injuries and clinical rabies in a tertiary health care centre.Materials and Methods: Case records of patients managed at the accident and emergency unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, between June 2000 and May 2010 with diagnosis of dog bite and rabies were retrieved. Relevant clinical data were extracted using a structured questionnaire designed for the study.Results: Eighty-one persons out of 24,683 consultations in the accident and emergency unit presented with dog bite injuries with two clinical cases of human rabies. Mean age of victims of dog bite injuries was 21.1 ± 14.3 years and the majority (55.6%) were children. Males were more affected than females with a male:female ratio of 4.8:1, lower limb/buttock injuries were significantly higher in children than adults, but the adults sustained significantly more severe (type III) injury. The majority of dog bite injuries were washed with soap and irrigated with water or saline and 87.7% of the victim of dog bite received postexposure anti-rabies vaccine.Conclusion: Hospital incidence of dog bite injuries was low, but the use of postexposure prophylaxis was high
Subject(s)
Bites and Stings/epidemiology , Dogs , Emergency Service, Hospital , Incidence , Nigeria , Post-Exposure Prophylaxis , Rabies Vaccines/administration & dosage , Rabies/epidemiology , Rabies/prevention & controlABSTRACT
La Cote d'Ivoire etant une zone de grande endemicite de la rage avec des souches sauvages entretenues par une importante population de chiens errants; toutes les vaccinations doivent etre soumises a un controle systematique des anticorps antirabiques. La vaccination de 20 personnes faite avec le vaccin de cellules renales de foetus de bovin de l'Institut Pasteur; donne une couverture satisfaisante