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Risk Factors, Prevention and Prophylaxis of Dog Bites for Disaster Response Personnel in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Sebastian E. Heath  and
Bruno B. Chomel
Sebastian E. Heath*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Purdue University, Indiana, USA
Bruno B. Chomel
Affiliation:
Department of Population Health and Reproduction, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, California, USA
*
1243 Veterinary Pathology Building, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1243USA E-mail: seh@vet.purdue.edu
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Abstract

It commonly is rumored that in large scale disasters, packs of dogs present a human health hazard because of dog bites. However, it is likely that factors other than pack behavior comprise greater risk factors for dog bites in disaster-response personnel. Important risk factors include: 1) the density of the human population, which in turn, determines the number of dogs at a disaster site; 2) territorial behavior of dogs at their site of residence, which determines the frequency with which dogs may bite; and 3) whether rabies is present at endemic or epidemic levels within the area in which the disaster is occurring, which determines the likelihood of fatal outcomes. Persons bitten by a dog should seek medical attention as contraction of rabies may result in a fatal outcome from a dog bite. It is recommended that disaster response personnel obtain pre-exposure vaccination against rabies. Vaccinated or not, they immediately should seek post-exposure treatment for rabies following potential exposure.

Keywords

disasterdog bitepreventionprophylaxisrabiesrisk factors
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 13 , Issue 2-4 , December 1998 , pp. 58 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1998

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