A survey of animal bites on humans in Bursa, Turkey


YALÇIN E., Kentsu H., BATMAZ H.

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY BEHAVIOR-CLINICAL APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH, cilt.7, sa.4, ss.233-237, 2012 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 7 Sayı: 4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2012
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jveb.2011.08.008
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF VETERINARY BEHAVIOR-CLINICAL APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.233-237
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: animal bite, dog, epidemiology, public health, children, bite location, DOG BITES, INJURIES, RABIES, EPIDEMIOLOGY, VICTIMS
  • Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Animal bites are a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to conduct a survey of animal bites in Bursa, Turkey. Patients who sought medical care for animal bites over an 18-month period were included in our study (n = 1,715). Data were obtained from the registry of the Bursa State Hospital; 71.84% of the patients were men and 28.16% were women. Bites were most frequent among patients who were > 18 years of age (comprising 60.83% of all bites). The anatomical site of the bite was recorded in all 1,715 cases, and 1,778 bite locations on the body were reported. The upper extremities were the most frequent sites of animal bites (53.83%), followed by the lower extremities (38.03%). Bites were most frequently inflicted by dogs (68.04%), followed by cats (28.45%), mice (2.56%), and other animals (hamsters, donkeys, horses, foxes, and rabbits together comprised 0.95% of the bites). As a result, bite incidents were mostly associated with males aged > 18 years and occurred in the upper extremities. This study showed that dog bites constitute a major animal bite problem in Bursa, Turkey. (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.