TABLE 2.

Characteristics of causal animals, exposures, and post-exposure prophylaxis among 133 patients with probable or possible animal exposure leading to rabies.

		N (%)
Animal type	Dog	129 (97.0)
	Cat	4 (3.0)
Age of the animal (months) (n = 68, 65 were unknown age)	1–3 months	27 (39.7)
	4–11 months	13 (19.1)
	12–23 months	15 (22.1)
	≥ 24 months	13 (19.1)
Owner of the animals	Owned by the patient’s household	51 (38.4)
	Owned by neighbor	29 (21.8)
	Community-owned	3 (2.3)
	Roaming, owned by somebody else	5 (3.8)
	Stray/roaming without owner	44 (33.1)
	Unknown*	1 (0.8)
Characteristics of the exposure	Licking or nibbling on uncovered skin	1 (0.8)
	Transdermal scratches	5 (3.8)
	Transdermal bites	121 (91.0)
	Other	1 (0.8)*
Type of exposure	Multiple	41 (30.8)
	Single	92 (69.2)
Body part	Upper limb	11 (8.3)
	Lower limb	50 (37.6)
	Hands	56 (42.1)
	Head or neck	17 (12.8)
Characteristics of post-exposure prophylaxis and health-seeking behavior
Wound washing	None	14 (10.5)
	Water only	2 (1.5)
	Soap and water	109 (82.0)
	Alcohol only	6 (4.5)
	Soap, water, and alcohol	2 (1.5)
	Iodine	0 (0.0)
Duration of wound washing with water	< 5 min	56 (49.6)
	5–14 min	40 (35.4)
	15 min over	8 (7.1)
	Unknown	9 (8.0)
Attending traditional healers	Yes	44 (33.1)
	No	89 (66.9)
Attending medical facilities after the animal exposure	No	115 (86.5)
	Animal bite treatment center (ABTC)	7 (5.3)
	Hospital	8 (6.0)
	Public clinic	2 (1.5)
	Private clinic	1 (0.8)
Rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) + vaccination	None	124 (93.2)
	RIG + 3 vaccinations	3 (2.3)
	RIG + 2 vaccinations	1 (0.8)
	RIG + 1 vaccination	0 (0)
	3 Vaccinations only	3 (2.3)
	2 Vaccinations only	1 (0.8)
	1 Vaccination only	1 (0.8)

*The patient provided care for the dog, which was suspected of having rabies and was later found dead. RIG, rabies immunoglobulin.