Dog Bite Health Burden in Alaskan Communities 2002-2012
The objective was to assess the public health burden of dog bite injuries in Alaska for 2002-2012. Dog bites are not a state-mandated reportable condition, although they may be required to be reported locally. This descriptive research was a first attempt in Alaska to consolidate dog bite reports kept by local government/animal control authorities and the Alaska Trauma Registry (ATR).
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study design and descriptive statistical analysis with SPSS software were used to quantify the problem. Two data sets were created based on the ATR hospitalization records 2001-2011 and data from local entities 2002-2012.
RESULTS:
During 2001-2011, there were 292 hospitalizations totaling 754 hospital days (Mean = 2.83 days, St. D. = 3.27, Range 1-28 days) and average annual hospitalization rate of 3.94/100,000. One case resulted in a fatality, and two in digit or limb amputations. The majority of injuries (246 or 84.2%) were considered minor. Of these 246 injuries, nearly half (121 or 49.2%) occurred to 0-19 year old victims. Similar age patterns were observed for moderate and serious injuries. Children more often were injured to their head/face/neck areas, while adults were more often bitten on upper limbs. As age increased the frequency of face/head/neck injuries decreased, however, the frequency of upper limb injuries increased. Sixty two percent of injuries (182) with known locations happened at residential premises.
Dog bite reports were not uniformly recorded or preserved at local levels. Available consistent data, representing approximately 65% of Alaska’s population, revealed 4,963 reports of dog bites during 2007-2012, yielding a statewide annual prevalence rate of 180/100,000 over that six year period.
CONCLUSIONS:
Burden of dog bite injuries in Alaska was far larger than previously described. ATR hospitalization data captured only a small number of injury occurrences; children were disproportionally impacted by dog bites.