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Do animals bite more during a full moon? Retrospective observational analysis.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:To test the hypothesis that the incidence of animal bites increases at the time of a full moon. DESIGN:Retrospective observational analysis. SETTING:Accident and emergency department at a general hospital in an English city. SUBJECTS:1621 consecutive patients, irrespective of age and sex. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Number of patients who attended an accident and emergency department during 1997 to 1999 after being bitten by an animal. The number of bites in each day was compared with the lunar phase in each month. RESULTS:The incidence of animal bites rose significantly at the time of a full moon. With the period of the full moon as the reference period, the incidence rate ratio of the bites for all other periods of the lunar cycle was significantly lower (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS:The full moon is associated with a significant increase in animal bites to humans.

SUBMITTER: Bhattacharjee C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC27561 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Dec 23-30

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Do animals bite more during a full moon? Retrospective observational analysis.

Bhattacharjee C C Bradley P P Smith M M Scally A J AJ Wilson B J BJ

BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 20001201 7276

<h4>Objective</h4>To test the hypothesis that the incidence of animal bites increases at the time of a full moon.<h4>Design</h4>Retrospective observational analysis.<h4>Setting</h4>Accident and emergency department at a general hospital in an English city.<h4>Subjects</h4>1621 consecutive patients, irrespective of age and sex.<h4>Main outcome measures</h4>Number of patients who attended an accident and emergency department during 1997 to 1999 after being bitten by an animal. The number of bites ...[more]

PMID: 11124173

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Project description:Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease that causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths worldwide annually, mostly in Africa and Asia. A target of zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies has been set for 2030, and large-scale control programs are now advocated. However, in most low-income endemic countries surveillance to guide rabies control is weak and few cases of rabies are recorded. There is an urgent need to enhance surveillance to improve timely case detection and inform rabies control and prevention, by operationalizing a "One Health" approach. Here we present data from a study piloting Integrated Bite Case Management (IBCM) to support intersectoral collaboration between health and veterinary workers in Tanzania. We trained government staff to implement IBCM, comprising risk assessments of bite patients by health workers, investigations by livestock field officers to diagnose rabid animals, and use of a mobile phone application to support integration. IBCM was introduced across 20 districts in four regions of Tanzania and results reported after 1 year of implementation. Numbers of bite patient presentations to health facilities varied across regions, but following the introduction of IBCM reporting of bite patients at high-risk for rabies more than doubled in all regions. Over 800 high-risk investigations were carried out, with 49% assessed as probable dog rabies cases on the basis of clinical signs, animal outcome, and rapid diagnostic testing. The status of a further 20% of biting animals could not be determined but rabies could not be ruled out. Livestock field officers reported that use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) were useful for confirming rabies occurrence. Overall, our study provides further evidence that IBCM is a practical approach that can improve rabies detection in endemic countries, and be used to monitor the impact of mass dog vaccinations, including potential to verify rabies freedom. However, the main challenges to implementation are limited training of health workers in rabies, perceived burden of real-time recording and limited resources for livestock field officers to undertake investigations. Nonetheless, IBCM dramatically improved case detection and communication between sectors and we recommend further implementation research to establish best practice and applicability to other settings.

Dataset Information

Do animals bite more during a full moon? Retrospective observational analysis.

Publications

Do animals bite more during a full moon? Retrospective observational analysis.

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