An exploratory study on rabies exposure through contact tracing in a rural area near Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Tracking lethal threat: in-depth review of rabies

An infectious disease known as rabies (family Rhabdoviridae, genus Lyssavirus) causes severe damage to mammals' central nervous systems (CNS). This illness has been around for a very long time. The majority of human cases of rabies take place in underdeveloped regions of Africa and Asia. Following viral transmission, the Rhabdovirus enters the peripheral nervous system and proceeds to the CNS, where it targets the encephalon and produces encephalomyelitis. Postbite prophylaxis requires laboratory confirmation of rabies in both people and animals. All warm-blooded animals can transmit the Lyssavirus infection, while the virus can also develop in the cells of cold-blooded animals. In the 21st century, more than 3 billion people are in danger of contracting the rabies virus in more than 100 different nations, resulting in an annual death toll of 50,000-59,000. There are three important elements in handling rabies disease in post exposure prophylaxis (PEP), namely wound care, administration of anti-rabies serum, and anti-rabies vaccine. Social costs include death, lost productivity as a result of early death, illness as a result of vaccination side effects, and the psychological toll that exposure to these deadly diseases has on people. Humans are most frequently exposed to canine rabies, especially youngsters and the poor, and there are few resources available to treat or prevent exposure, making prevention of human rabies challenging.

Knowledge of rabies among rural community in Chengalpet district, India

The objective of the present study is to assess the knowledge about rabies among the general population of a rural area in Chengalpattu district of Tamilnadu. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 361 participants belonging to Paranur village of Chengalpattu district. A pre-tested questionnaire was utilized to gather information on socio-demographic factors, knowledge about rabies, treatment-seeking behavior, and anti-rabies vaccine use among participants with history of dog bite. Among the 361 participants, only 49.5 % were aware of local wound-management procedures, despite the fact that 68% had sufficient knowledge about rabies. The present study highlights. significant association between knowledge regarding rabies with demographic variables such as gender, age, education and occupation Although more than half of the study population had adequate knowledge on rabies, one-fourth of them had no knowledge on first-aid treatments or vaccines at the time of dog bite. This study highlights the need to promote knowledge regarding wound care and post-exposure prophylaxis at the event of a dog bite.

Epidemiological pattern and trend analysis of animal bite cases of anti-rabies clinic of tertiary care hospital of Delhi

Background:

Animal bites to humans are a public health problem. Rabies is caused by rhabdovirus which is present in the saliva of rabid animals like dogs, cats, monkeys, and wild animals like fox and jackals.

Objective:

To find the epidemiological pattern and trend analysis of animal bite cases registered in Anti-rabies clinic of tertiary care hospital of Delhi.

Materials and Methods:

A retrospective cross-sectional study was planned in Anti-rabies clinic of Hindu Rao Hospital, Delhi, and data from January 2010 to December 2018 was taken. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21.0.

Results:

After interpretation of data from 2010 to 2018, it was found that maximum number of animal bite cases belonged to category 3 (91.0%) and majority (93.6%) were due to dog bite. On analysis of year and season wise trend, it was found that the frequency of cases showed a rising trend from the year 2010, with highest number of cases in the year 2014, while animal bite cases were maximum with arrival of spring season (month of April).

Conclusion:

This study concludes that animal bite cases are rising over the years and dog bites are most common animal bite cases in Delhi. Most of the animal bite cases occurred during spring season followed by autumn season of the year. So, there is dire need of strengthening the preventive measures for controlling animal bites in the study area.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of a local community towards the prevention and control of rabies in Gaibandha, Bangladesh

OBJECTIVES

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of rabies in the community are essential for developing post-exposure behavioral treatment and for understanding current prevention and control policy on rabies. This was a cross-sectional study in Gaibandha Sadar, a northern district of Bangladesh, investigating the level of KAP about rabies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 368 interviewed respondents, of whom 280 (76.09%) were male, and 88 (23.91%) were female. A structured questionnaire was used for the data collection from respondents on socio-demographic information and KAP regarding rabies. The data analyzed with STATA-IC-11.0 and the association of independent variables with rabies KAP scores were calculated using Pearson's Chi-square.

RESULTS

Most respondents had adequate KAP levels and positive thoughts on rabies prevention. The KAP scores were strongly associated with education and employment status (p < 0.05). Most respondents said that stray dogs are a headache in the area and believed that control of the dog population in Gaibandha is essential.

CONCLUSION

These outcomes also revealed that there is an information gap about rabies that might improve by developing an education program for awareness.