Aggressions by dogs and cats in the northwest region of São Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract

Aggressions caused by domestic animals, especially cats and dogs, are still a serious public health issue in Brazil. Our objective was to evaluate the characteristics of aggressions registered in some towns of the Northwest region of São Paulo State, Brazil. Data from 9,411 cases of aggressions caused by pets reported during the period between 2008 and 2013 were obtained from the State Surveillance Center. Aggressions caused by dogs were the most frequently reported (83.3%), followed by cats (12.7%) and other animals (4%). All the studied towns had an increase in the cases during the studied period, ranging from 10.5% to 41.9%, while the relationship between aggressions from domiciled and free roaming dogs remained constant. In general, the incidence of aggressions did not differ between man (50.1%) and woman (49.9), but a higher incidence in the group aging between 0 - 14 (30.06) was seen. In children and teenagers (<14 years old) we observed a predominance of injuries in the lower limbs, followed by the head/neck and hands/feet whereas, in those over 14 years old, the highest occurrence was in hands/feet and lower limbs. 85.4% of the reported cases were bites and 11.4% were scratches. Statistically significant differences were observed between the municipalities in the study area in the incidence of aggressions and the genders distribution.