'Several reports a week' of dog bites in Yukon, says doctor

There's a surprising lack of information about dog bites in Canadadespite the fact they are a leading causeof children being sent to hospital, saysYukon's ChiefMedical Officer of Health.

Dr. Brendan Hanley says he reads "several reports a week" ofYukon children requiring medical care because ofbites.

"We do see a lot of dog bites in Yukon," Hanley says.

• AUDIO: Dr.Hanleyspoke about dog bites onCBC'sA New Day withSandiColeman

While dog bites are aleading cause of children being sent to emergency rooms in Canada, Hanley says there are no comprehensive statistics collected.

"Wedon't actually count them officially, either in Yukon or in Canada," hesays. "The U.S. seems to have a lot of better data on dog bites."

Hanleysaysif Canada extrapolates U.S. numbersit would mean about a half-million dog bites every year. About one in five cases require medical attention.

Many Yukon communities have concerns aboutstray dogs.

Hanley says Yukon's victims are primarily children and the elderly. However, hesays he's come across many cases of peoplehospitalisedafter trying tobreak up fights among dogs.

Aresearch project published through theUniversity of Manitoba seconds the view that Canada does not collect sufficient information about dog bites.

"In Canada, one to twohuman deaths a year, on average, can be attributed to dog attacks,a statistic that is comparable with the annual average of 15 deaths in the United States. Further systematic information is lacking on dog attacks and related fatalities in Canada," writesMalathiRaghavanof theFaculty of Medicine at theUniversity of Manitoba.

Raghavan writes thatbetter collection of statistics about dog bites would help doctors and governments better understand the problemand help communities assess which initiatives are working.