Epidemiology of acute animal bite and the direct cost of rabies vaccination

Objective: To describe the epidemiological aspects of animal bites and to calculate the financial burden resulting from rabies vaccination in Chalderan City. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, records of all victims of animal bites in a seven-year period were reviewed. Studied variables included demographic information of victims, biters' profile, time and place patterns, clinical aspects of the victims and the cost of vaccination. Results: Most of bites were observed in men in the age group of 10-19 years old, at rural areas and occupational group of farmers. The vast majority of animal bites happened by dogs and domestic animals. The average age of victims with head and neck injuries was lower than that of victims with injuries in the lower extremities, shoulders and hands (P = 0.001). The cost of vaccination was 11665 dollars with three doses of rabies vaccine and 849 dollars for five doses, and the 12514 dollars cumulative frequency in the studied period. Based on the results of trend test, the incidence of animal bites was increased significantly during the study period (P = 0.02). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that due to the increasing incidence of animal bites and the financial burden resulting from animal bite vaccination, it is necessary to design and implement preventive measures in order to reduce the animal bites.