Epidemiology of pediatric injury in Malawi: Burden of disease and implications for prevention

Abstract

This study revealed patterns of injury based upon age, gender, location, and season. Our results may prove useful to stakeholders in injury prevention for designing, evaluating, and implementing programs to improve public safety in children in Malawi and similar resource poor nations.

The burden of trauma in four rural district hospitals in Malawi: A retrospective review of medical records

“…These proportions, which indicate a higher rate of injury among males than females, especially among adults, are similar to those reported from other studies in Malawi [12,13] as well as studies from Ethiopia [14], Kenya [15][16][17], Mozambique [18], Rwanda [19], South Africa [20], Tanzania [21], and Uganda [22,23].…”

“…In a 2008 study conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi, the most common types of injury treated in the casualty department were contusions and abrasions (31.9%), lacerations (30.6%), fractures (14.3%), head injuries (7.5%), and burns (5.6%) [24]. Among children aged 0-16 years, the most common types of injury in a 2008-2010 study in Lilongwe were concussions (24.9%), fractures (21.7%), lacerations (16.5%), and burns (11.0%) [12]. No pattern for the distribution of injury types was clear from other reports from sub-Saharan Africa, perhaps because of differences in how mild and severe injuries (and inpatients versus outpatients) were tallied [15,23,27].…”

“…Assaults are also frequently reported as the most common cause for a visit to a hospital's emergency department, as noted in studies from Ethiopia [14] and Kenya [16]. Studies of paediatric trauma in Malawi have generally found that falls are the most common cause of child hospital visits due to injury [12,13]. This is also the case for hospital-based studies from elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya [16], Mozambique [18], South Africa [20], Tanzania [21], and Uganda [23].…”

“…Previous studies in Malawi have found that seasonal differences in incidence are particular to the type of injury. A study of paediatric injury in Lilongwe found that falls were especially common during warm rainy season (December-February) and burns most common during the cold dry season (June-August) [12]. A study of paediatric inpatients in Mzuzu found that road traffic injuries and poisonings were most common during the hot dry season (September-October) and burns in the cool dry season (MayAugust) [13].…”

Qualitative analysis of a psychological supportive counseling group for burn survivors and families in Malawi

“…Poverty is a significant risk factor for burns, with 90% of burn deaths occurring in low and middle income countries [2]. Malawi has a high prevalence of burn injury, with one study demonstrating that they accounted for eleven percent of injuries occurring in pediatric patients from 0–16 years of age presenting to the emergency department [3] and four percent of all injuries for patients of any age [4]. In Malawi, burn injuries are most likely to occur in individuals less than 5 years in age [5], in individuals with a seizure disorder [6], in the cold season and at evening time [4].…”