[Epidemiologic profile of human anti-rabies treatment in Porto Alegre, RS, brazil]

Animal bites are injuries that carry the risk of rabies transmission, a disease with a 100% mortality rate. The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiologic profiles of post exposure human anti-rabies treatments and to analyze whether prescriptions were appropriate. This cross-sectional study collected data from the forms of the Brazilian Notification System (Sistema Nacional Agravos de Notificação - SINAN), which were filled out by the professionals responsible for treatment in healthcare services in the second semester of 2006. Of the 2,223 cases identified, 50.3% of the individuals were male, the age group with the greatest number of cases was 20 to 59 years (47.6%); the type of injury responsible for the largest number of medical consultations was animal bite (87.4%), and 35.3% of the injuries were in the lower extremities. Dogs were the animals that caused the most injuries (91.7%). The analysis of type of treatment showed that vaccination was prescribed for 78.1% of the individuals, and anti-rabies serum, for 6.4%. Of the all treatments, 96.2% were classified as correctly prescribed. Although treatments were classified as necessary, the option of keeping animals that cause aggressions under observation should be considered so that the number of treatments administered can be reduced.