Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the burden of dog bite cases at the National Referral Hospital in Bhutan

Introduction: Dog bite is a public health problem in Bhutan incurring huge cost of treatment. The general objective of the study was to see the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the burden of dog bite cases and the profile of patients, comparing with that of the year before the COVID-19 pandemic started (2019) at the National Referral Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective record review of the dog bite cases in the year 2019 and 2020. The target population of the study were people living in Thimphu city. The dog bites that occurred outside Thimphu were excluded from the study. Proportion of dog bite according to demographic and clinical variables were calculated. Univariate and multivariate analysis were done to look for risk factors responsible for dog bite in 2020 compared to 2019. A statistically significant level was set at <0.01. Results: The dog bite cases in the year 2019 and 2020 were recorded at 3.3% and 2.4% respectively There was male predominance and highest incidence of the dog bite was in age group of 20-59 years. The commonest site of bite were lower limbs and stray dog bites were highest risk exposure. Conclusion: less dog bite cases reported in 2020 which may be due to the impact of pandemic. Majority of the cases were stray dog bites and high incidence of dog bites can be a major concern for health, social and economic wellbeing of the nation which needs urgent intervention.