Animal Bites and Rabies Prophylaxis in Rural Children: Indian Perspective.
A prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital to study clinicoepidemiological profile of potentially rabid animal bite cases from rural India. Total of 308 children (median age 6 years) admitted to hospital, were recruited over 1 year and followed up till completion of antirabies vaccine course. Dog was the commonest (77.27%) offending animal. Of the exposures, 66.88% were scratches, 88.96% were unprovoked and 27.27% were categorized as Class III. The median times to wound toileting and reporting to health facility were 1 and 6 h, respectively. Majority received prompt PEP in hospital, and RIG was administered in 34.55% of Class II and 90.48% of Class III exposures. Compared with their older counterparts, children aged <5 years suffered more bites on face and trunk and more Class III exposures. The rabies prophylaxis scenario is encouraging, when compared with earlier studies, but there are gaps to be addressed.
Department of Pediatric Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India samanta.ritu@gmail.com.
Moumita
M
Samanta
Department of Pediatric Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India.
Rakesh
R
Mondal
Department of Pediatric Medicine, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Sushrut Nagar, Darjeeling-734012, West Bengal, India.
Ankit
A
Shah
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (IPGME&R), 240 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata-700020, West Bengal, India.
Avijit
A
Hazra
Department of Neonatology, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India.
Somosri
S
Ray
Department of Community Medicine, Kolkata and ADME, GN-29, Sector-V, Salt Lake, Bidhannagar, Swasthya Bhavan, Kolkata-700091, West Bengal, India.
Goutam
G
Dhar
Department of Pediatric Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India.
Rupa
R
Biswas
Department of Pediatric Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India.
Tapas Kumar
TK
Sabui
Department of Pediatric Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India.
Dibyendu
D
Raychaudhuri
Department of Pediatric Medicine, Medical College, Kolkata, 88 college street, Kolkata-700073, West Bengal, India.
Kaushani
K
Chatterjee
Department of Cardiology, IPGME&R Hospital, Kolkata, India.
Chanchal
C
Kundu
Department of Pediatric Medicine, IPGME&R Hospital, 240 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata-700020, West Bengal, India.
Sumantra
S
Sarkar
D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006268:Health Facilities; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D056990:Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011818:Rabies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
animal bite; dog; postexposure prophylaxis; rabies; rabies vaccine