Abstract
Introduction: Animal bite is defined as bite or claw wound from a pet, farm, or wild animal. Animal bites are major public health issues, not only for the risk of acquiring secondary infections but also for the possibility of contracting rabies. Rabies is a preventable acute and fatal viral infection caused by a single stranded RNA virus. Community awareness on all aspects of rabies is generally lacking. As there are less community-based studies on this health problem in the Delhi, this study was planned to assess knowledge, attitude & practices related to animal bite among the residents of an urbanized village in South Delhi.
Material and methods: It was a cross-sectional study carried out from 1st January to 24th January 2015 in Aliganj, field practice area of Department of Community Medicine of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital. A total of 330 adult participants (M:F ratio 0.61:1) were studied. Face to face interview was conducted using semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire after taking a written informed consent.
Results: Around 75% of the respondents were found to have correct knowledge regarding the consequences of animal bites. Nearly 94.5% of the respondents were found to have consultation with doctors and 3.3% respondents had faith in traditional healers and jhaad phook. 40.3% of the respondents consider the application of indigenous substances on animal wounds like chilies, turmeric, and herbal paste useful.
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