Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Dog Bite and its Management Among Adults in Rural Tamil Nadu

Dr. Y. Suba Joice; Dr. Zile Singh; Dr. Shib Sekhar Datta

Volume : V, Issue : V, May - 2016

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Dog Bite and its Management Among Adults in Rural Tamil Nadu

Dr. Y. Suba Joice, Dr. Zile Singh, Dr. Shib Sekhar Datta

Abstract :

Background: Annually 50,000 human deaths worldwide are reported due to rabies, of which 30,000 are from India as per WHO report. Objective: To study the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding dog bite and its� management among adults in rural Tamil Nadu and to look for its association between selected socio–demographic factors. Material and methods: Community based cross sectional study conducted on 275 households during the month of May 2011 using multistage random sampling method. Data was entered in excel and analyzed using SPSS–version 16 software. Proportions were calculated for all qualitative variables. Chi square test was used to look for association between selected socio–demographic variables and KAP regarding dog bites. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 275 study respondents only 6.9% knew microorganism as the cause of rabies but 86.2% of the respondents knew rabies is spread by dogs. 90.5% and 59.3% knew that a vaccine for rabies is available and the site of administration as abdomen respectively. 73.8% felt it essential to wash the bite site with soap and water. Only 49.4% practiced deep burial as the method of disposal of a suspected rabid dog. Conclusion: The knowledge, attitude and practices with respect to prevention and treatment of rabies were not found adequate among the rural population. Community based health education is essential in these areas to create more awareness regarding rabies.