Human accidents with monkeys in relation to prophylactic treatment for rabies, in the Municipal District of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Although the Municipal District of São Paulo has rabies under epidemic control (last case of rabies in humans was registered in 1981) and 95.4% of its population resides within the urban area, there are reports of human accidents involving wild animals and of these, monkeys are involved in the largest number of cases. In the period from 1996 to 1999, 69,967 victims of accidents with animals were attended, of which 267 were accidents with monkeys. In this work the monthly and annual incidence of the occurrence of such accidents was studied, as well as the antirabies treatment provided.