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Economic burden, knowledge, and practice related to prevention of rabies: A cross-sectional study among animal bite victims attending Rabies Immunization Clinic, Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata

Background: Rabies is a fatal but preventable zoonotic disease and prevention of rabies following exposure is largely dependent on proper wound care and timely initiation and completion of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) which again dependent on awareness of general population regarding prevention of rabies and economic burden related to PEP.

Aims and Objectives: With this background, the present study was carried out to estimate the economic burden, knowledge, and practice regarding prevention of rabies and to determine predictor of practices. 

Materials and Methods: Facility-based, observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in Rabies Immunization Clinic, Medical College, Kolkata, among 110 animal bite victims (>18 year age) who are attending for PEP during study period (January 2022 to June 2022). 

Results: About 48.2% study participants had poor knowledge score related to prevention of rabies. Although direct economic burden for all participants was nil, 53.6% participants faced heavy indirect economic burden. Only 62.7% study participants cleaned wound properly following exposure. About 73.6% of study participants had history of timely initiation as well as completion of PEP with regularity. Proper wound care following exposure was mainly determined by awareness level of study participants regarding prevention of rabies, whereas timely initiation as well as completing PEP with regularity was mainly predicted by economic burden incurred by the participants. 

Conclusion: For achieving zero human deaths due to dog-mediated Rabies by 2030, more emphasis to be given on awareness generation among general population and combating economic burden related to PEP.