Profile of patients attending Anti Rabies Clinic at Madhav Dispensary, JA Group of Hospitals, Gwalior

Abstract

Background: Rabies in humans is 100% preventable through prompt appropriate medical care. 20,000 people are estimated to die every year from rabies in India primarily because of stray dogs. Rabies continues to be a public health problem in India as there is no organised system of surveillance of rabies cases and there is hence a lack of reliable data. The aim of present study was to assess the profile of patients attending anti rabies clinic so as to make some contribution in data generation. Methodology: It was a cross sectional study conducted for the duration of six months in Anti-rabies clinic of Madhav Dispensary at J.A. group of hospitals Gwalior. All newly registered patients who consented to participate were included in the study. The sample size calculated was 1200 and the tool for collecting information was a semi structured questionnaire. Results: 73.91% cases had class II bite while 20.33% cases had class III bite while only 05.76% cases had class I bite. 65.17% bites were unprovoked while 34.13% bites were provoked. Dog bite was seen in 1033 cases while monkey bite was seen in 10.42% cases. Conclusion: The findings of present study clearly indicate that most of the animal bite cases require proper medical advice and adequate treatment. Health education to stimulate awareness and proper vaccination of pets can help in reducing the morbidity and mortality due to animal bites.