Animal attacks have been identified as a major public health problem.[3] In 1997 it was estimated that up to 2 million animal bites occur each year in the United States. Injuries caused by animal attacks result in thousands of fatalities worldwide every year.[4] All causes of death are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year. Medical injury codes are used to identify specific cases.[5] The World Health Organization uses identical coding, though it is unclear whether all countries keep track of fatalities caused by animals.