Animal bite accidents, agility and follow-up in primary care

Abstract

The complications arising from animal bites on humans, including physical injuries, transmission of diseases such as rabies, and significant economic costs. Primary Health Care (PHC) plays an essential role in the prevention, management, and monitoring of these cases, including the administration of post-exposure prophylaxis. The research proposes to review the management of bacterial infections in PHC and to address rabies prophylaxis, aiming to contribute to clinical practice in this context. This study is a qualitative review conducted in February 2024, using databases such as SciELO, VHL, PubMed, and Google Scholar. We searched for articles and reviews in English and Portuguese on animal bites, bacterial infections, primary health, clinical guidelines, using specific inclusion criteria. The selected studies will be analyzed to enrich the discussions on the proposed theme. The results and discussions focus on the bacterial and viral complications of animal bites. Risk factors, such as wound location and delay in treatment, and the importance of proper management, including debridement and antibiotic use, are highlighted. As for rabies, post-exposure prophylaxis is crucial to avoid serious complications. In Brazil, management varies according to the severity of exposure and the condition of the offending animal. In addition, the fundamental role of PHC in the implementation of comprehensive measures, including detection, notification, monitoring, and response to public health emergencies and other events with potential health risk, is highlighted, aiming to prevent infections, especially rabies, in exposed humans.