Case series of hyena bite injuries and their surgical management in a resource-limited setup: 1-year experience

Abstract

Animal bites are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and pose a major public health problem worldwide. Children are reportedly the most common victims of animal bites. Bites may be limited to superficial tissues or lead to extensive disfiguring injuries, fractures, infections and rarely result in death. Recently, human injuries caused by non-domesticated animals are increasingly common as ecosystems change and humans encroach on previously wild land. Wild animals like hyenas have been reported to prey on humans and cattle in parts of Africa. Discussed here are four children out of 11 patients that presented with hyena bites-the children had severe bites to the face and head with extensive soft tissue loss, fractures and concomitant severe infections that led to high mortality, indicating the necessity for advanced intensive care and multidisciplinary treatment needed in such situations.