Pattern and Reporting of Animal Bite Cases at Anti-rabies Clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital during COVID-19 Lockdown Period in Odisha - A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study
Abstract
Background: The commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown has affected healthcare all over the world. Odisha had also imposed a lockdown from May 2021 which was extended up to October 2021 during the devastating second wave of COVID-19. The lockdown period was after 6 p.m. The study was done to know the pattern and reporting of animal bite cases who had attended the Anti-rabies Clinic (ARC) during the lockdown period in one of the tertiary care hospitals in Odisha.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 271 participants who attended the ARC OPD during the lockdown period. All animal bite cases were included irrespective of age and gender. To measure the association between variables, Chi-square test was used.
Result: About 46.9% of patients hailed from the Cuttack urban area. Cases of bites after 6 p.m. constituted 37.6% of the patients and the number of bites was higher among males which was found to be statistically significant. 60% of the cases were referred to SCB Medical College because of the non-availability of Rabies Immunoglobulin (RIG) followed by 26% who were referred because of the non-availability of both RIG and Anti-rabies Vaccine (ARV).
Conclusion: Despite the lockdown, many patients from both areas (urban and rural) were victims of animal bites and out of them, around half of the patients were referred for RIG. Despite the availability of ARV at the CHCs, a few patients came to SCB for the same which indicates a lack of sensible responsibility to adhere to lockdown rules.
How to cite this article:
Nanda CR, Sahoo P, Mohanty S, Mohanty M, Behera TR. Pattern and Reporting of Animal Bite Cases at Anti-rabies Clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital during COVID-19 Lockdown Period in Odisha - A Hospital-based Cross-sectional Study. J Commun Dis. 2023;55(2):33-38.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202322
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