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Introduction: Animal bites and scratches represent the most important public health issue related to dogs and cats because of the risk of rabies transmission associated with physical, psychological trauma and wound infection. Objective: The study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of animal bite of human beings in Addis Ababa. Methods: Data on the kind of animal, age of the patients, gender, site of bites and /or scratch were collected from the registry book and analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Results: A total of 1299 cases of bite and/or scratch were reported for the period September 2008 to August 2009. The majority of bites were made by dogs where stray dogs are much higher (X 2 = 0.83, p= 0.36). There is statistically highly significant difference of bites between sex (p = 0.001) and between age group (F = 5.41, p=0.02). The animal bite made by dogs was higher on legs (55.6 %) followed by hands (26.45 %) and multiple bites (7.51 %). Conclusions:The majority of bites were attributed to stray dogs followed by cats, horses, donkeys. To reduce the problem a preventative public education is suggested. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2011;25(1):58-60]

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Rabies infection is almost always a 100% lethal viral disease in all mammals, including humans. Although more than 60,000 people worldwide are preventable, 2,700 people in Ethiopia die of fatal human rabies annually. The aim of this study was to generate strategic information on the extent of the burden of rabies and major response strategies in place, only to overcome and bring attention to the management of rabies outbreaks. The cross - sectional case - based study design was used to discuss the disease areas of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples ' Regional States of Ethiopia. Data analysis revealed a total of 16 fatal human rabies and 287 suspected rabies exposures. The highest attack rate of 116.3 cases per 100,000 human subjects was reported in Tembaro woreda. As a result, 48 animal deaths of rabies have been reported, while cattle (28) have been more affected than other animal species. The lack of dog immunization, lack of community awareness of dog management, and inaccessibility and inefficiency of anti - rabies vaccines were major risk factors associated with the spread of rabies exposure between humans and animals. In conclusion, this study has clearly shown that both the existence and the high magnitude of fatal human and animal rabies are significant in the area. Multidisciplinary approach interventions to increase community awareness of dog vaccination, effective and immediate treatment of exposed individuals is recommended as a method of disease control and prevention