Rat bites support need for in-home control: an epidemiologic study of rat bites in New York City, 1974-1978

Rat bite reports in New York City during the years 1974-1978 were analyzed by time, place and person characteristics. Rat bites showed a general decline over the five-year period, from 226 reported bites in 1974 to 162 reports in 1978 (2/100,000 population). The decrease in reported bites from areas with active rodent control programs was twice the decrease from areas without such programs. The highest rates were reported from the health districts of the Lower East Side of Manhattan and the Williamsburg-Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. Rat bite rates in reported incidents are highest in children under age five, with no significant difference between sexes. Of the 1069 reported rat bites for the five-year period, 41.4% occurred on the hand, particularly the fingers, and 87.9% occurred indoors. The use of rat bite reports is a mechanism to identify high risk groups and areas of rodent infestation as well as indicating the success of rodent control programs.