Pattern of animal bites and factors associated with delay in post-exposure prophylaxis in bitten people

BACKGROUND: Since the epidemiology of animal bites and the relevant factors in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are of great significance for preventing the deaths resulting from rabies and controlling the rabies disease, the main purpose of the current study is to account for the patterns of animal bites and factors associated with delay in PEP in bitten people. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all animal bites cases in Khaf city, Khorasan Razavi province, Iran, and included 553 cases of animal bites recorded from March 2014 to February 2016 in the healthcare centers. Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test) was used to identify the factors associated with delays in PEP. RESULTS: Results indicated that majority of the cases with animal bites were men (79.7%) aged from 21 to 60 years (48.5%). Due to the type of animal bites in all ages, the damages caused by dogs (85.2%) were greater than the damages caused by cats (9%) and other domestic or wild animals (5.8%). The frequency of delay in treatment was 14.4% in women and 5.2% in men (P = 0.002). The frequency of treatment delay in housewives (18.6%) and children under 6 years old (6.3%) was greater than that in other occupations (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: According to the current study's results, individuals' gender and occupation are among the main factors associated with delay in PEP. Therefore, identifying factors related to delay in treatment and providing people with the necessary education by health personnel are of considerable significance in prevention of unpleasant consequences of animal bites.