Causes, magnitude and management of burns in under-fives in district hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the causes, magnitude and management of burns in children under five years of age who were admitted in the district hospitals of Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. Methods: In this study, a total of 204 under fives were enrolled. Questionnaires were used to elicit if the parent/caretaker had the knowledge of the cause of the burns, what was done immediately after burn injury, first aid given immediately after burn, source of the knowledge of first aid and when the child was taken to the hospital. Also the questionnaire was cited with data on the management of burns in the hospitals through observation and checking the treatment files. Results: Forty nine percent were males while 50.5% were females. Most of the children (54.9%) were aged between 1-2 years. 78.4 % had scalds while 21.6 % had flame burns. No children were found to have burns caused by chemicals or electricity. Most of the burns (97.5%) occurred accidentally, although some (2.5%) were intentional. 68.6 % of these burn injuries occurred in the kitchen. Immediately after burn 87.3% of the children had first aid applied on their wounds while 12.7% didn't apply anything. Of the agents used, honey was the most used (32.8%) followed by cold water (16.7%). The source of knowledge on these agents was from relatives and friends (72.5%), schools (7%), media (6%) and medical personnel (14%). The study further revealed that analgesics, intravenous fluids, antiseptics and antibiotics were the drugs used for treatment of burns in the hospital and that there was no specialized unit for burns in the hospitals. Conclusions: Causes of childhood burns are largely preventable requiring active social/medical education and public enlighten campaigns on the various methods of prevention. The government to see to it that hospitals have specialized units for managing burn cases and also the socio-economic status of its people be improved.

Child burn injury in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: results from a community survey

“…This study found no significant differences in the distribution of burn injury types by gender, which has also been reported in other studies conducted in DES (Justin-Temu et al, 2008;Moshiro et al, 2005). Research from other SSA settings however, documents that males between the time of birth and four years are burned twice as often as females in the same age group (Albertyn et al, 2006).…”

“…As expected, the home environment was a significant risk setting for burns for younger children as they spend more time in the home environment (Ruiz-Casares, 2009;Van Niekerk et al, 2009 Kitchen and living room areas are reportedly the most common sites of burn injuries, which are often part of the same room in Tanzanian settings (Justin-Temu et al, 2008). The household material environment is believed to have an exacerbating effect on the risk for burns.…”

“…Though burns have received considerable attention as a threat to child survival in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) -a region having among the highest global rates of burn-related injuries (Justin-Temu, Rimoy, Premji, & Matemu, 2008;Van Niekerk, Laubscher, & Laflamme, 2009;Van Niekerk, Seedat, Menckel, & Laflamme, 2007) -few studies using populationderived data have provided epidemiological information on burns among children (Peden et al, 2008). The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of burn injuries among children in a low-income SSA urban area and describe their contributing factors in the home environment.…”

Essential Surgery at the District Hospital: A Retrospective Descriptive Analysis in Three African Countries

“…Open fracture reduction, which might also be considered a proxy for trauma when treated at a district hospital, was recorded at only two of the eight hospitals (Bagamoyo and Mityana). Similarly, there were no burns recorded and very few skin grafts, though burns in rural areas are a well-documented serious public health issue, especially in children [13]. Life-saving interventions such as airway management, tube thoracostomy for chest trauma, and resuscitation with intravenous fluids were not recorded, as the data do not include bedside and some accident and emergency procedures.…”

Burn Cases, Their Management and Complications: A Review

“…Since the 20th century various local medications have been used. Due to its hepatotoxicity, the use of tannic acid spray was rejected in 1942 (Justin-Temu et al, 2008).…”