A 10-year review and epidemiology of animal bite cases in Gerash city, south of Iran: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To determine the temporal trend and epidemiology of animal bite cases in Gerash City, Iran. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed 630 cases of people with animal bites between 2011 and 2021 in Gerash City. The collected data were analyzed using Chi-square test. Results: The mean age of victims was (30.9±17.5) years. 80.54% Of victims were male, 39.70% were self-employed, and 64.60% were adults (≥18 years). Most cases of bites occurred in 2019 (91 cases), 2020 (74 cases) and 2021 (87 cases), and most of the bites were related to the upper limbs (62.70%). Most of the wounds were superficial (78%), most of the biting animals were domestic animals (91.74%), and most of the victims had Iranian nationality (97.62%). Conclusions: Given the increasing trend of animal bites in Gerash City, health authorities should carry out basic measures such as education and awareness among the public, especially at-risk groups such as adult males. Additionally, since most cases of bites are due to dogs, it seems necessary to plan for vaccination of dogs, especially those with owners.