A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Awareness and Health-Seeking Behavior Regarding Animal Bites Among Residents of Urban Slums in the Field Practice Area of a Medical College in Eastern India.

INTRODUCTION: Rabies is one of the oldest viral diseases caused by the rabies virus, belonging to the Mononegavirales order, Rhabdoviridae family, and Lyssavirus genus. Rabies is a zoonotic disease affecting both public health and the livestock industry in India. Rabies causes incurable viral encephalitis, and its progressiveness is considered to be extremely fatal. General awareness regarding the disease, the sequel, prevention, and treatment plays an important role in curbing deaths due to rabies. Now, with an increase in the number of street dogs, it has become increasingly important for residents to be aware of the disease and the need to seek timely medical care in case of animal bite exposure. With this background, the current study was planned with the objectives to assess knowledge and awareness regarding rabies and health-seeking practices among the urban adults residing in urban slums (study area). METHODS: This was a community-based, cross-sectional study conducted in urban slums under the field practice area of a tertiary medical college and teaching hospital in Odisha. Using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation, 140 study participants were included who gave written informed consent. A semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection, and the knowledge and attitude were scored. Data were coded, analyzed using Epi Info v3.5.1 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA), and represented in frequencies (percentages). The chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, wherever applicable, were used as tests of significance. RESULTS: Around 72.1% of the study participants had adequate knowledge, and 63.0% had good health-seeking practices following an animal bite. It was found that educational status (p < 0.001) and socioeconomic status (p = 0.003) were statistically significantly associated with knowledge about rabies amongst the study participants. Other variables, like first-aid sought after a bite, place of seeking treatment, observation of the biting animal, time of seeking anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) following an animal bite, and recognizing the category of wound correctly, were found to be significantly associated with various practices following an animal bite (p < 0.001).  Conclusion: The level of awareness was found to be lower among the adults residing in urban slums. The practices were found to be good among a few, and the health-seeking behavior was also found to be low within 24 hours following animal bite exposure. There were various sociodemographic variables affecting the level of awareness. Several pet-related factors, like owner of a pet, first-aid after a bite, and the place of getting treated, were found to be associated with the practices among the study participants.