Workshop on First Aid for animal bite

Under the Young Leaders Collaboration for Global Health (YLCGH) Nepal initiative, a school health education session on First Aid for Animal Bite was conducted at Shree Bhanodaya School on 20th August 2025. Targeted at selected students from grades 7 and 8, the session aimed to create peer-educators who could share correct first-aid actions and rabies prevention messages with their families and communities.

Objectives

1. Teach students immediate first-aid steps after an animal (dog) bite.
2. Explain rabies transmission, symptoms, and the importance of timely post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
3. Reinforce wound washing technique and the recommended duration for cleaning.
4. Identify animals that can transmit rabies and common signs of rabid animals.
5. Select and motivate student leaders to spread the information in their peer groups and households.

Participants

• Grades: 7 and 8
• Total number of participants: 19 students

Methodology

The session followed a three-phase interactive format:

Phase 1: Pre-test

A baseline assessment (12 MCQ items in Nepali/English) was administered to assess existing knowledge on animal bites, wound care, rabies transmission, and PEP schedules.

Phase 2: Presentation & Demonstration

Covered topics:

• Causes and modes of rabies transmission (infected saliva into fresh wound).
• Immediate first-aid steps (wash wound with soap and water giving  emphasis on duration).
• Do’s and don’ts after a bite (e.g., avoid tight bandaging, seek medical care).
• Animals that can carry rabies (dogs, cats, bats, etc.).
• PEP schedule and importance of hospital visit after an exposure.

Phase 3 :  Post-test

The same MCQ questionnaire was repeated to measure knowledge gain and retention immediately after the session.

Outcomes

1. Knowledge gain: Overall improvement in correct responses from pre-test to post-test across most items.
2. Peer-education readiness: Selected students expressed willingness to teach friends and family and serve as student leaders in community awareness.

Observations

• Many students were engaged and asked relevant questions about where rabies comes from and why prolonged wound washing matters.
• Question 9 (the statement regarding whether someone bitten again within 3 months of completing all anti-rabies vaccination needs only wound cleaning and no extra vaccines) was answered incorrectly by many students in the pre-test. After the presentation, students answered this item very well in the post-test, demonstrating clear conceptual correction.

The small group size helped keep disturbances low and allowed individual attention.