51/22 | Research Article | Veterinary Clinical Medicine

The Prevalence of Dog Bites and Knowledge and Practices Relating to its Management and Prevention in Rural Residents of Pondicherry - A Descriptive Cross Sectional Study

Department of Community Medicine, SLIMS, Pondicherry, Affiliated to BIHER, Department of Pharmacology, IGMCRI, Pondicherry, Affiliated to Pondicherry University

Abstract

Rabies is a zoonosis and a deadliest disease in the world having 100% mortality which is attributed to the lack of awareness in this condition. The present study is a descriptive cross sectional study in the outpatient department of Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry. The distribution of study participants includes 58% male and 42% females. About 84% were unprovoked bites and 95% of the bites were in the limbs. Time of bite mostly occurred during day (37%)and 52% had bleeding from the site. With respect to knowledge, 50% don’t know the cause of rabies.About 18% doesn’t know the availability of anti rabies vaccine. Thus the study highlighted the lack of knowledge dissemination in the community, which can be addressed by health education regarding the determinants of dog bite and its prevention. vaccine.

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