Epidemiological Characteristics and the Trend of Animal Bites during the years 2014-2018

Background: Animal bite is a serious and dangerous threat to human health. The highest prevalence rate of animal bite in Iran is in Golestan, Ardabil and, then Khorasan. The present study examined the epidemiological characteristics and the trend of animal bites during 2014-2018. Results: In this study, out of 3784 cases bitten by animals, 2821 happened by a sudden attack. Most reports of the animal bite were from dogs. Also, the trend of animal bite during 2014-2018 was increasing and the charts showed that the trend will continue to increase the next year. Conclusion: Due to the increasing trend of animal bites, it is necessary to take basic measures such as training endangered groups, forming a committee to eliminate stray dogs, and strengthening the care system and immunization program.

Successful management of complex scalp wounds with exposed calvarial bones by customized Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT): Case series and review of the literature

Scalp wounds with exposed calvarial bones continue to be a challenge especially when no local flap options are available and no microvascular flaps can be performed. Our prospective study looked at 19 patients (14 males) where customized negative pressure wound treatment was used till the complex scalp wounds, mostly from animal bites, were covered with healthy granulation and grafted. Scalp wounds ranged from 6 × 4 cm to 17 × 11 cm in size whereas the area of exposed bone ranged from 1 × 2 cm to 10 × 10 cm. No major complication was seen, and wounds were rapidly healed.

The knowledge level and practices on childhood injuries and interventions among parents at home

Background: There are many common household emergencies that may involve children. This includes poisoning, falls, burns, choking, animal bites, very high fever and also febrile fits. Knowledge about preventive measures to prevent these accidents as home as well as knowing what to do when it occurs may help in preventing further complications and may aid in recovery. Therefore, this study aims to find out the general public knowledge regarding the preventive steps and early emergency steps that can be taken upon emergencies occurring among children. Methods: A cross sectional study incorporating a questionnaire/instrument that included brief sociodemographic data and a total of 10 questions on common household injuries and emergencies, and either preventive steps or early interventions was used. The topics covered were 6 core topics on poisoning, falls, burns, choking, animal bites, high fever and also febrile fits. Results: The total number of respondents was 119 parents. This study overall showed a good knowledge, attitude and practice among the parents towards common emergency inflicting children. Older aged and female parent were found to have more knowledge and positive attitude towards common emergencies among children, respectively. Conclusion: Group identified as having a lower knowledge, attitude and/or practice should be targeted in future community education programmes to increase the knowledge as well positive attitudes and practices towards identifying and managing common emergencies among children. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 21(1) 2022 Page : 140-144

Predictors of Delay in Seeking Post-Exposure Prophylaxis in Older Adults with Animal Bite Injuries: A Population-Based Study

Introduction: Animal bites are of the major health threats. Delayed post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), especially in frail older people, may lead to mortal risks in this age group. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of delayed PEP in animal-bites injuries and to identify its contributing factors in older people of Tabriz city, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the census method was used to obtain data from health records of older adults who were referred to Tabriz's Rabies Treatment Center between March 2013 and March 2018. The delay was defined as starting PEP longer than 24 hours after a suspected rabies virus exposure. The relations between delayed PEP and each of the predictors were investigated using the chi-square test in univariate analysis. The decision tree model was applied to predict the delay time of PEP. Results: A total of 322 older people with a mean age of 67.62 ± 7.18 were studied. In all, 31.7 % of the older persons victims who were bitten by an animal had a delayed PEP. Urban victims (34.1%) compared to rural (16.3 %), stray animal victims (42.0 %) compared to an owned animal-bite victim 24.6 %, all other animal bite-related victims (39.9 %) compared to dog-bite injuries (23.8%) experienced a higher frequency of delayed PEP. The decision tree revealed that animal ownership status, animal status, and animal species were the most important factors for predicting delayed PEP (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The possibility of delayed PEP in older adults bites victims, increased if the animal was ownerless and escaped. A reasonable approach to tackle this issue might be to conduct larger population studies in the future.

The wound severity of animal bite victims visiting rabies prevention clinics and the influencing factors in Central China: a cross-sectional investigation

Background Animal bites are a major public health problem. The more serious the bite wound is, the higher the risk of developing rabies is. This study aimed to investigate the severity of wounds among animal bite victims and identify the influencing factors in Wuhan, China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1015 animal bite victims visiting rabies prevention clinics. We performed a face-to-face interview to collect information on the exposure category of the bite wound, the type of the offending animal, exposure-to-risk situations, etc. Factors associated with exposure categories were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Five hundred and sixty-four (55.57%) cases were category III exposures, 418 (41.18%) were category II exposures, and 33 (3.25%) were category I exposures. People who were hurt by their own domestic animals (odds ratio [OR] = 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–2.10), and those exposed to animals unvaccinated against rabies (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.08–1.95) had a higher risk for category III exposures. Respondents who did not know the fatality of rabies were more likely to be injured seriously compared to those who knew that rabies is fatal, and the OR was 1.40 (95% CI, 1.05–1.86). Conclusions This study showed that factors associated with the severity of bite wounds mainly included types of the offending animal, vaccination status of the animal, and knowledge of rabies fatality. Educational programs and awareness-raising campaigns should be provided to decrease severe animal bites, especially targeting pet owners and those with limited rabies knowledge.

Prospective Analysis of Etiologies of Nose Defects in a Tertiary Care Referral Centre

The purpose of the study was to analyze the various causes of nasal defects seen in practice by plastic surgeons in the Department of Plastic Surgery, in a tertiary care North Indian Hospital. The study included all patients of any age and sex presenting to the outpatient department or emergency department with nose defects. The patients were enquired about the cause and history of their nasal defects. The most common etiologies of nasal defects seen were skin tumors of the nose, the most common one being the basal cell carcinoma (BCC) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and congenital naevus. Both the malignancies BCC and SCC were seen in older age. While BCC was significantly more common in males, a specific gender preference could not be concluded in SCC. Trauma was the next most common cause and included road traffic accidents, assaults, and animal bites. These were more commonly seen in the youth and less commonly in geriatric or pediatric populations. Other less common causes of nasal defects included postburn lesions.

Dog bite of the orofacial region- Case series and update

Animal bites are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe and when involving the orofacial region, they commonly present to dental surgeons. Literature on their initial management provides a plethora of conflicting views and results and it is necessary to be up to date with the latest modalities of management of such facial injuries to give best functional and surgical outcomes to the patients. Antibiotics and anti-tetanus and anti-rabies vaccinations and immunoglobulins should be judiciously administered along with appropriate wound management.

Dog bite of the orofacial region- Case series and update

Animal bites are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe and when involving the orofacial region, they commonly present to dental surgeons. Literature on their initial management provides a plethora of conflicting views and results and it is necessary to be up to date with the latest modalities of management of such facial injuries to give best functional and surgical outcomes to the patients. Antibiotics and anti-tetanus and anti-rabies vaccinations and immunoglobulins should be judiciously administered along with appropriate wound management.