What To Do When Your Child Is Bitten By An Animal Animal bites and scratches that break the skin can cause infection. Rarely animal bites (particularly from wild animals) can cause rabies, a dangerous, life-threatening disease. Fast Fact Bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes transmit most cases of rabies
What To Do: •
Wash the area with soap and water, and apply pressure with sterile gauze or a clean cloth if the child is bleeding. (Do not apply an antiseptic or anything else on the wound.)
•
Cover any broken skin with a bandage or sterile gauze
Seek emergency medical care if the child: •
has a bite that puncture or broke the skin
•
was bitten by a wild or stray animal, or any animal that hasn’t recently had rabies shots or is acting strangely
•
was bitten on the face, neck, or hand, or near a joint
•
has a bite or a scratch that is becoming red, hot, swollen or increasingly painful is behind on immunization (shots) or hasn’t had a recent tetanus shot
When seeking treatment, have the following information on hand: • the kind of animal that bit the child • the date of the animal’s last rabies vaccination, if known • any recent unusual behavior by the animal • the animal’s location (address, if known) • if the animal was wild or a stray, or was captured by a local animal control service • the child’s immunization (shots) record
Think Prevention Many animal bites are preventable. Always supervise young children around animals, even pets. Teach kids to handle pets gently and to never tease them.
Also teach kids to stay away from – and to never feed – wild or stray animals.
Alice To
All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, consult a doctor
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