Fig 1.
This figure presents a simplified schematic of the hierarchical structure of the Tanzanian health system, illustrating the flow of service delivery and referrals across levels. At the base, community-level care is provided by community-owned resource persons like CHW. This is followed by the primary level, which includes dispensaries, health centres and district hospitals offering basic outpatient, maternal, child, and minor emergency services. Above them, regional referral hospitals deliver more advanced diagnostics, inpatient, and surgical services while overseeing district hospitals. At the top, zonal referral and national hospitals provide specialized tertiary care, education, and research. Arrows in the figure depict referral and supervisory pathways. The schematic was adapted and redrawn by the authors from the official Tanzanian Ministry of Health structure.
Fig 2.
Map of Mkinga District, Tanga Region, Tanzania.
This figure illustrates the geographic location of Mkinga District within Tanga Region in northeastern Tanzania. It highlights district boundaries, key geographical features such as water bodies, and the spatial distribution of districts for reference. The map was generated using ArcGIS software, version 10.7.1 (https://www.esri.com/software/arcgis). Administrative boundary shapefiles were sourced from Natural Earth (https://www.naturalearthdata.com), which are in the public domain. All map annotations and geospatial overlays were added by the authors. No proprietary or copyrighted basemaps were employed.
Fig 3.
Treatment modalities administered across all bites (N = 351).
Bar chart showing the distribution of eight treatments—steroids, antihistamines, antibiotics, analgesics, antidotes (antivenom or rabies PEP), wound dressing, tetanus toxoid, adrenaline- across all animal-related injury categories in 351 cases from Mkinga District selected facilities (2019–2023). Each bar is labeled with the percentage (%) of cases in which the treatment was administered. The figure highlights that steroids and antihistamines were the most frequently used treatment modalities.
Fig 4.
Treatment modalities administered for animal-related injuries.
Each chart represents the percentage of patients within each treatment group who received that treatment for a given bite/injury type. Treatment modalities include tetanus toxoid (N = 78), analgesics (N = 172), antibiotics (N = 105), adrenaline (N = 30), steroids (N = 192), antihistamines (N = 187), antidotes (N = 19), and wound dressing (N = 35). †Antidote includes administration of antivenom or anti-rabies vaccines/PEP. ‡non-bite injuries include scratches, stomping, lacerations, or bruises from animal encounters. **Unidentified bites are for patients presenting with bite marks, but unsure of the animal that caused them./Could not identify. *Values have been rounded off totals may not sum to 100% but 101.
Fig 5.
Patient disposition by facility type (n = 351).
This stacked bar chart shows the disposition of patients with animal-related injuries across two primary healthcare facility types in Mkinga District: dispensaries and health centers. Disposition outcomes include discharged, referred, and admitted. As per Tanzanian health policy, dispensaries did not admit any patients, reflecting their restriction from providing inpatient services. The figure highlights differences in referral and admission patterns between facility types.
Table 1.
Clinical presentation, Management and Outcome of Animal Related Injuries in Mkinga District, Tanga, Tanzania.