Abstract:
Rabies in humans is highly fatal and ends in an extremely painful and tortuous death.
Unfortunately we still have highest number of deaths due to rabies, ironically a disease preventable by modern
prophylactic measures. The post-exposure prophylaxis is a life saving treatment in a definite rabid animal bite.
General Practitioners (GP’s) act as first line care-givers for the treatment of dog bite and they are also easily
approachable by the victim for the treatment to prevent rabies. Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and
practices regarding rabies among general practitioners. Methodology: This cross sectional survey was carried
out from July – August 2011 in Belgaum city among 100 general practitioners using a pre tested questionnaire.
Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 18 trial version. Frequencies were tabulated for demographic
variables and association between variables was tested using Chi-square test. Results: Out of the total 100
general practitioners interviewed, 93 were males and 7 were females. The mean age of GP’s was 42.89 years.
The mean duration of practice for MBBS doctors was 19 years and for other doctors (BAMS, BHMS, RMP’s)
was 11 years. Knowledge about various aspects of rabies was comparatively better among MBBS doctors. The
knowledge regarding vaccine was very poor among the general practitioners. Conclusion: The major issue was
lack of hands on training or updating the knowledge of general practitioners regarding the newer vaccines and
their administration. We recommend continued medical education for general practitioners, both (MBBS and
non MBBS) on prevention of Rabies.
