A doctor receives a telephonic call from the mother of an 8-year-old boy, who informs that the boy has just been bitten by a monkey. The child was playing with his friends when a group of monkeys appeared nearby. Some of the children shouted and threw sticks and stones at the monkeys, who became angry and aggressive. One of the monkeys bit the lady's son in the forearm and blood is visible over the wound. The nearest health facility is 3 kilometers away. Consider the following statements regarding how the doctor should respond: 1. Advise the mother to rush with the child to the health facility without waiting for anything. 2. Advise the mother to first thoroughly wash the wound with plenty of soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, and then seek treatment. 3. Advise the mother that the animal bite is category I and risk is very low, as the bite was provoked. 4. Advise the mother to seek treatment for the boy's wound but the boy requires no treatment or prophylaxis for rabies as it is a monkey bite. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
2 only
Only statement 2 is correct. The most important immediate step after any animal bite is local wound toilet: washing with plenty of soap and running water for at least 15 minutes, then applying povidone-iodine or alcohol. This mechanically removes and inactivates rabies virus at the inoculation site. Only afterwards should the child be taken to the facility (just 3 km away) for anti-rabies vaccine and, because there is bleeding, rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) infiltrated into the wound.
Statement 1 is wrong: rushing without washing wastes the critical first-aid window. Statement 3 is wrong because a bleeding transdermal bite is Category III, not Category I (Category I is only touching or feeding animals with intact skin), and provocation does not lower rabies risk. Statement 4 is wrong because the monkey is a mammal and a recognised rabies-transmitting animal, so prophylaxis is mandatory.
Key point: Any bleeding bite from any mammal = Category III = wash 15 minutes + vaccine + RIG.
Important Questions from Infectious Disease Control & Prevention
As per the Open Vial Policy, partially used multidose vials of which of the following vaccines can be used over more than one immunization session?
1. BCG vaccine
2. DPT vaccine
3. Hepatitis B vaccine
4. Measles vaccine
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Consider the following statements regarding dengue virus :
1. It has four distinct serotypes.
2. Infection with any one serotype confers lifelong immunity for that virus serotype.
3. Secondary infection with dengue serotype 2 leads to severe form of dengue.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding dengue :
1. The mosquito becomes infective after an extrinsic incubation period of 8-10 days.
2. Once it becomes infective, the mosquito remains infective for life.
3. The genital tract of the mosquito does not get infected.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements about Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) :
1. It is transmitted by ticks.
2. It was originally called 'pig disease' because of the association with dead pigs.
3. It was first recognized in Karnataka State.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
- In countries with low levels of measles transmission, what should be the appropriate age for starting immuni-zation with measles-containing vaccine (MCV)?
