According to the examination of the 1,225 patient records, 45 percent of them missed one or more anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) doses after the first dosage, with 14 percent missing all three doses following the first dose.
As per a study, nearly 60% of patients injured by an animal bite at a tertiary hospital in Ahmedabad received incorrect emergency care, either by doing nothing or by applying substances like as tobacco, chilli powder, talcum powder, toothpaste, and even tea to the wound.
The study, which looked at current wound treatment practises for animal bites, is significant because it is recommended to wash and disinfect wounds as soon as possible after an animal bite because the rabies virus enters the human body through the wound, and if the wound is not cleaned and disinfected, the virus can persist and multiply at the wound site.
Dr. Bhavna Puwar, assistant professor in the community medicine department of NHL Municipal Medical College, associated with AMC-run SVP Hospital, conducted the study, which included an analysis of 1,225 patient records and interviews with 155 patients between January and June 2016.
According to the examination of the 1,225 patient records, 45 percent of them missed one or more anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) doses after the first dosage, with 14 percent missing all three doses following the first dose.
Working-age men appeared to skip doses at a higher rate than women, according to Dr. Puwar’s findings, which she says could be due to the fact that as earning members of the family, time spent getting the vaccine shot “may impair their work and pay.”
Meanwhile, it was discovered that 33 of the 155 patients interviewed cleaned the wound with merely water, while another 28 used soap or an antiseptic to clean it, meaning that 61 of the 155 took the proper precautions when it came to initial treatment. However, 61 people did nothing before going to the hospital, while the remaining 33 people believed myths and falsehoods and applied tobacco, snuff, chilli powder, and other items to the wound instead.
As per the 2018 Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) report of Gujarat, 17 deaths due to rabies were reported across the state, with 12 of those deaths reported from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation jurisdiction.
Eight of the total 16 deaths due to rabies in 2017, as per the MCCD report of Gujarat, were also reported from AMC.