Citation

Chang YF, McMahon JE, Hennon DL, LaPorte RE, Coben JH. Am. J. Public Health 1997; 87(10): 1703-1705.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, American Public Health Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9357359

PMCID

PMC1381140

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the number of dog bite injuries occurring in the city of Pittsburgh in 1993. METHODS: The capture-recapture method was used, along with long-linear modeling. Three sources were used to identify victims hospital reports, animal control reports, and police/victim reports. RESULTS: In 1993, 790 dog bites were reported. The capture-recapture method estimated that there were 1388 unreported dog bites, with an estimated incidence rate of 58.9 per 10,000. CONCLUSIONS: Dog bite is a common preventable injury. To improve surveillance, the focus should be on educating the general public about the serious consequences of dog bite injuries.