Pandemic Puppies: Man's Best Friend or Public Health Problem? A Multidatabase Study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The public health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic reach beyond those of the disease itself. Various centers have anecdotally reported increases in the incidence of dog bite injuries which predominate in pediatric populations. The reasons for this increase are likely multifactorial and include an increase in canine adoptions, remote learning, and psychosocial stressors induced by lockdowns. We hypothesized that there was a significant increase in the proportion of dog bite injuries at our institution and within a nationally representative cohort.

Methods

We queried our electronic health record and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) for all records pertaining to dog bites between 2015 and 2020, and the annual incidence was calculated.

SUBMITTER: Habarth-Morales TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9576631 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature