TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Treatment and outcome of unusual animal bite injuries in young children
JO  - South African medical journal SAMJ
A1  - De Klerk, Peter
A1  - van Dijk, Monique
A1  - Van As, A. B.
SP  - 206
EP  - 209
VL  - 106
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: Animal bites are a major cause of preventable traumatic injuries. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: To provide more epidemiological information on animal bites, and assist in increasing awareness of the problem. <br><br>METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed including children aged >13 years presenting with bite injuries (excluding dog and human bites) to the trauma unit at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, over a 25-year period. <br><br>RESULTS: Two hundred and thirteen children were eligible to be entered into the study. The median age was 2.9 years (range 1.2 - 6.5), with boys slightly predominating (54.9%). Most (74.6%) of the bite injuries were inflicted by mammals, the majority (64.8) of mammalian bites being rat bites. The proportions of boys and girls in the age group 0 - 4 years bitten by rats significantly differed from the proportions in the age group >4 years (p=0.039). In the age group 0 - 4 years more girls suffered rat bites, while more boys were bitten in the age group >4 years. Of 91 rat bites, 81 (89.0%) occurred inside the house. The hands (43.9%) and the head/face/neck region (39.0%) were most affected. The underdeveloped suburbs of Philippi, Gugulethu and Khayelitsha in Cape Town represented a disproportionate number (41.6%) of rat bites. <br><br>CONCLUSION: There is a relationship between poverty, unemployment, poor housing, informal settlements and rodent infestation. These high-risk populations need to be the target for government rat eradication programmes.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0038-2469
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -