Lightning myths in southern Africa

Trengove, Estelle; Jandrell, I.R.

doi:10.1007/s11069-014-1579-4

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…77), Mkuze, January 2021). These views on the cultural origins and/or causes of lightning confirm other comparable studies, such as one from Trengove and Jandrell [ 28 ], who established that in some African societies, there was a very strong belief that lightning can be controlled by witches/wizards to kill people and their livestock.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Taken together, inaccurate perceptions of disastrous weather events can greatly amplify the vulnerability of communities exposed to them [ 26 ]. While several studies on public risk perceptions of lightning incidents (e.g., [ 11 , 12 , 14 , 27 , 28 ]) were conducted in different parts of the world, in this study, we aimed to gain a general understanding of the community risk perceptions and attitudes (descriptions of and responses to actual lightning experiences) towards lightning incidents in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality. We also examined the strategies that are used to cope with lightning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in the High-Risk Lightning Zone of South Africa

Moyo

Xulu

2021

IJERPH

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Lightning activity is a hazard for human societies and the environment, and a common feature of South Africa’s climate system, although with great regional variation. The north-eastern section of the country, including the predominantly rural uMkhanyakude District Municipality, is among the most vulnerable regions, where a growing trend of lightning-related deaths and injuries has been observed in recent years. Despite this, and the Disaster Management Act (No. 57 of 2002), which mandates the implementation of hazard and risk assessments at all scales, no detailed research on the community risk perception of lightning incidents has yet been conducted, although such information could help to facilitate mitigation strategies. This explorative study involved a questionnaire survey of 150 community members that aimed to address this gap. Our results suggest that lightning is a real danger and the community had failed to effectively and successfully respond to its various socio-economic implications at the community and individual levels; this demonstrated the vulnerability of the community to the lightning activity in the study area. The contribution of this study is the identification and explanation of how lightning is regarded, understood, interpreted and responded to and how this information provides an opportunity for effective government intervention.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in the High-Risk Lightning Zone of South Africa

Moyo

Xulu

2021

IJERPH

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“…These results correlate with previous studies 3 , 4 , 29 . People living in rural communities in Bangladesh have a number of misconceptions including religious myths and superstitions, as well as social stigma attached to lightning injuries 5 , 24 , 30 , 31 . An initiative has already been taken in an African region to raise awareness of preventive measures against lightning injury among the population to reduce the number of lightning-related deaths and injuries per year 25 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lightning Injury is a disaster in Bangladesh? - Exploring its magnitude and public health needs

Biswas¹,

Dalal

Hossain³

et al. 2016

F1000Res

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Background: Lightning injury is a global public health issue. Low and middle-income countries in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world are most affected by lightning. Bangladesh is one of the countries at particular risk, with a high number of devastating lightning injuries in the past years, causing high mortality and morbidity. The exact magnitude of the problem is still unknown and therefore this study investigates the epidemiology of lightning injuries in Bangladesh, using a national representative sample. Methods: A mixed method was used. The study is based on results from a nationwide cross-sectional survey performed in 2003 in twelve randomly selected districts. In the survey, a total of 819,429 respondents from 171,336 households were interviewed using face-to-face interviews. In addition, qualitative information was obtained by reviewing national and international newspaper reports of lightning injuries sustained in Bangladesh between 13 and 15 May 2016. Results: The annual mortality rate was 3.661 (95% CI 0.9313–9.964) per 1,000,000 people. The overall incidence of lightning injury was 19.89/100,000 people. Among the victims, 60.12% (n=98) were males and 39.87% (n=65) were females. Males were particularly vulnerable, with a 1.46 times increased risk compared with females (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.06–1.99). Rural populations were more vulnerable, with a 8.73 times higher risk, than urban populations (RR 8.73, 95% CI 5.13–14.86). About 43% of injuries occurred between 12 noon and 6 pm. The newspapers reported 81 deaths during 2 days of electric storms in 2016. Lightning has been declared a natural disaster in Bangladesh. Conclusions: The current study indicates that lightning injuries are a public health problem in Bangladesh. The study recommends further investigations to develop interventions to reduce lightning injuries, mortality and related burden in Bangladesh.

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“…Most cases of burns reported are mainly due to fires, chemicals, electricity, and hot liquids [ 15 , 16 ]. In many sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana, lightning injuries have largely been blamed on various misconceptions including religious beliefs and superstitions, and afflicted individuals may face social stigma [ 4 , 17 , 18 ]. However, this is misleading as lightning injuries have been well documented scientifically [ 1 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rare manifestation of burns after lightning strike in rural Ghana: a case report

2017

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BackgroundLightning is a natural phenomenon that mostly affects countries in the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe, including Ghana. Lightning strikes pose a global public health issue. Although strikes to humans are uncommon, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality.Case presentationWe present a case of a 10-year-old Ghanaian girl who got second-degree burns after being struck by lightning. She was put on an intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotic (ceftriaxone), Ringer’s lactate, and her burns were dressed with sterile gauze impregnated with Vaseline (petroleum jelly) and silver sulfadiazine ointment. There was marked improvement on the 16th day of treatment despite the lack in capacity of the hospital to carry out some laboratory diagnostic tests. On the 21st day of treatment, the burns were completely healed without scars and contractures.ConclusionsThis is evidence of burns due to lightning strike, despite its rare occurrence. This report will help inform those in doubt, particularly in communities where lightning injuries are associated with widespread superstition. The case report also revealed how rural healthcare can be challenging amid a lack of basic diagnostic equipment and logistics. However, in resource-limited settings, Vaseline (petroleum jelly) and silver sulfadiazine could be used in the treatment of burns.

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Lightning myths in southern Africa

Cited by 23 publications

References 9 publications

Public Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in the High-Risk Lightning Zone of South Africa

Public Knowledge, Perceptions and Practices in the High-Risk Lightning Zone of South Africa

Lightning Injury is a disaster in Bangladesh? - Exploring its magnitude and public health needs

A rare manifestation of burns after lightning strike in rural Ghana: a case report

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