Burns in South Africa: Who is at risk?
There is a high incidence of burn injuries in South Africa. The root causes of this need to be addressed, but simply being aware of the risks is enough to increase vigilance and prevention.
Burns are extremely painful, often life-threatening injuries that take a long time to heal and often leave the victim with serious, lifelong scarring. South Africa has a particularly high rate of childhood burns, with as many as 1 300 burn-related deaths each year - and this incidence peaks in the winter months when coal-burning fires are used to heat low-income homes.
By being aware of the main risk factors for childhood burns in this country, it’s possible to reduce those risks and keep children - and adults - safe.
In a review published by the Medical Research Council at Unisa, entitled The Epidemiology of Childhood Burn Injuries in South Africa, the following was revealed:
Children aged six and younger are at particularly high risk...
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