Wound Management Practices and Sociocultural Influence among Animal Bite Victims Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Hyderabad: A Cross-sectional Study
Gogurla Manisha, Sridhar Dayyala, Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin, B. KiranmaiBackground:
Animal bite represents a significant public health concern globally, particularly in developing countries. Previous studies have highlighted the widespread presence of cultural beliefs and misconceptions related to wound management and food restrictions in dog bite victims. The objectives of the study were to assess wound management practices and identify the sociocultural beliefs among animal bite victims before attending a health care facility.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among animal bite victims attending the Rabies Immunization Clinic, Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases, Hyderabad. A total of 230 study participants were recruited using the consecutive sampling technique and were administered a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. The Chi-square test of association was applied to determine the relationships between categorical variables and delay in vaccination.
Results:
A total of 156 (67.8%) participants out of 230 performed wound management at home. Among those practicing home-based wound care, 33.9% washed the wound with water alone, 20.5% used soap and water, and 28.2% used antiseptic solution. Traditional applications such as turmeric (11.5%), neem leaves paste (3.2%), lime (1.9%), and bitter gourd leaves paste (0.64%) were also reported. 29.13% of participants experienced a delay in initiation of postexposure vaccination.
Conclusion:
Program managers and policymakers to strengthen community awareness and myth-busting education on immediate wound care and the importance of timely postexposure vaccination.