Epidemiological Patterns of Animal Bites in Babol City, Northern Iran (2015-2022)

Diseases resulting from animal bites have been a public health concern globally, including in Iran, and continue to show annual growth. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the epidemiological patterns of animal bites in Babol city over 8 years.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on all individuals injured by animal bites from March 2015 to February 2022. The data for these cases were recorded by trained professionals at the Central Rabies Center in the county.

A total of 13,550 cases with a mean age of 36.18±35.86 years were examined. Three-quarters of the cases (76.0%) were male, and 48.7% were urban residents. Additionally, 11,504 individuals (84.9%) received three doses of the rabies vaccine. The trend of animal bites showed an increase from 199.07 cases per 100,000 population in 2015 to 547.98 cases per 100,000 population in the final year of the study (2022) (P<0.001). This increasing trend was also observed in both males (from 327.03 in 2015 to 783.36 in 2022) and females (from 69.35 in 2015 to 309.36 in 2022). In terms of gender, the prevalence of animal bites in males was 1.3 times higher than females, and the prevalence of animal bites in rural areas was 59% higher than urban areas.

The occurrence of animal bites showed an increasing trend during the study years, indicating growing concern and the need for effective preventive measures. Furthermore, the results can assist in developing strategies, policies, and public health interventions in Babol.