Background In a rabies-endemic country like India, every animal bite is potentially taken as rabid exposure and timely and appropriate postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) is crucial as rabies is an almost 100% fatal disease. Methods A retrospective record-based study was conducted at an anti-rabies clinic (ARC) in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. Data of the animal bite victims attending the ARC for PEP from January to December 2022 were extracted from the records. A semistructured questionnaire was used for collecting information regarding the interval between exposure and the initiation of anti-rabies PEP, age, gender, residence, the bite site on the body, category of exposure and other risk factors associated with the delay in PEP. Results Most of the victims were male (67.6%), from an urban background (61.3%) and aged up to 20 y (43.9%). Out of the 222 victims, 62 (27.9%) had delayed initiation of PEP (>48 h after exposure). Factors found to be significantly associated with delayed initiation of PEP were residence (p=0.01), age (p=0.04) and the type of biting animal (p=0.002). Conclusions Delayed initiation of PEP is common among animal bite victims in this region of India, although PEP is affordable. Educational programmes and awareness-raising campaigns for timely administration of PEP should be a priority, especially targeting rural residents, those aged<18 y and those bitten by animals other than dogs.

中文翻译：

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印度北方邦东部动物咬伤受害者延迟开始狂犬病暴露后预防的患病率及其影响因素

背景 在像印度这样的狂犬病流行国家，每一次动物咬伤都可能被视为狂犬病暴露，及时、适当的暴露后预防 (PEP) 至关重要，因为狂犬病是一种几乎 100% 致命的疾病。方法 在印度北方邦东部的一家抗狂犬病诊所 (ARC) 进行了一项基于记录的回顾性研究。从记录中提取了 2022 年 1 月至 12 月参加 ARC 进行 PEP 的动物咬伤受害者的数据。使用半结构化问卷收集有关暴露和开始抗狂犬病 PEP 之间的时间间隔、年龄、性别、居住地、身体咬伤部位、暴露类别以及与延迟 PEP 相关的其他危险因素的信息。结果 受害者以男性（67.6%）为主，城市背景（61.3%），年龄在20岁以下（43.9%）。在 222 名受害者中，62 名（27.9%）延迟了 PEP 的启动（暴露后 > 48 小时）。发现与延迟启动 PEP 显着相关的因素包括居住地 (p=0.01)、年龄 (p=0.04) 和咬伤动物的类型 (p=0.002)。结论 尽管 PEP 的费用是可以承受的，但在印度该地区的动物咬伤受害者中，延迟开始 PEP 的情况很常见。应优先开展及时管理 PEP 的教育计划和提高认识运动，特别是针对农村居民、18 岁以下的人和被狗以外的动物咬伤的人。