North-west England sees one in six dog bite admissions

Posted: September 4, 2013

Posted in: Animal Attacks Head and Brain Injuries Neck Injuries 

A recent health report has found that one sixth of dog bite admissions in England occurred in the northwest of the country. After parents, whose children had been killed by dogs, took a petition to Downing Street earlier in the year, extensive research has been carried out looking into the trends and figures regarding attacks throughout England. Primary care trust data from The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) revealed that the highest level per 100,000 people was in the northwest of the country, standing at 21.6. Yorkshire and Humber saw 17.5 admissions per 100,000 people.

The data revealed statistics from all over the county (representative of the last year):

• Liverpool saw 123 dog bite admissions
• Manchester saw 82 dog bite admissions
• The southeast coast had the lowest number of admissions, standing at 5.1 per 100,000 people
• The highest number of admissions for an individual primary care trust was Oxfordshire, standing at 158 admissions

A 4,500-signature petition was personally handed to Downing Street by relatives of those killed by dogs earlier in the year. 14-year-old Jade Anderson was mauled to death by four dogs at a friend’s home earlier in the year in Wigan, and four-year-old John Paull Massey also died as a result of a dog-attack in Liverpool four years ago. 

The petition was produced to urge the Prime Minister to take action and prevent further dog attacks through education and preventative measures. Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger believes that the likes of Dog Control Notices would help prevent such tragedies from happening in the first place.

Plastic surgeon Christian Duncan, from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, said: “About 50% of injuries involve the head or neck or hands and can be absolutely devastating.”

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