Impact of dog bite in Kano city a retrospective study

Abstract

Rabies is an acute encephalomyelitis. It is zoonotic disease occurring in a variety of warm blooded animals includingman. The study is to review the impact of dog bite and rabies in Kano City. A review of cases seen in Paediatric Unit of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano over a ten year period. (January 1996 December 2005). There were 44 cases of dog bites of which five (11.4%) cases developed rabies. The age range of children with dog bite was 4 to 9years. Themost common sites of bite were on the legs (45.5%), gluteal region (36.4%)while the least affected siteswere the upper arm(6.8%) and the face (4.5%).Therewere 28 (63.7%) of the dogs were stray dogs while 12(27.3%) were domestic dogs, only 31.8% of the domestic dogs were vaccinated.All thosewith rabies died; All the five patients presentedwith furious rabies. Children with dog bites in which the current certificate of vaccination in the dog can not be produced, should be given antirabies vaccine. There should be public enlightenment talks aimed at informing the public of the need to report all cases of dog bite to health facilities.

Keywords: Paediatric,Dog bites,Rabies,AntirabiesVaccine