Burn care in Africa: reducing the misery index: the 1993 Everett Idris Evans Memorial Lecture. 1993

G O Sowemimo
Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Burn care in Africa is hampered by inadequate facilities, inadequate infrastructure, and inadequately trained staff. Burn units with burn teams are few. Burn injuries carry a high mortality rate with delayed healing and high complication rates among survivors. Most burns occur in the home from flame and scalding, and children are more affected than adults. Burn sepsis is mostly from staphylococci and pseudomonas. Various studies on epidemiology, sepsis, protein metabolism, and repigmentation indicate methods of prevention and improved care, including greater resort by surgeons to skin grafting, which speeds healing and both prevents and treats scarring, contractures, and depigmentation. Governments, industries, and entrepreneurs are exhorted to promote burn prevention, research, improved care, and rehabilitation, particularly through the establishment of burn units with burn teams, to reduce the misery and suffering caused by the high mortality and morbidity from burns in Africa.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009017 Morbidity The proportion of patients with a particular disease during a given year per given unit of population. Morbidities
D009549 Nigeria A republic in western Africa, south of NIGER between BENIN and CAMEROON. Its capital is Abuja. Federal Republic of Nigeria
D009584 Nitrogen An element with the atomic symbol N, atomic number 7, and atomic weight [14.00643; 14.00728]. Nitrogen exists as a diatomic gas and makes up about 78% of the earth's atmosphere by volume. It is a constituent of proteins and nucleic acids and found in all living cells.
D002053 Burn Units Specialized hospital facilities which provide intensive care for burn patients. Burn Centers,Burn Center,Burn Unit,Center, Burn,Centers, Burn,Unit, Burn,Units, Burn
D002056 Burns Injuries to tissues caused by contact with heat, steam, chemicals (BURNS, CHEMICAL), electricity (BURNS, ELECTRIC), or the like. Burn
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002921 Cicatrix The fibrous tissue that replaces normal tissue during the process of WOUND HEALING. Scars,Cicatrization,Scar,Scarring
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000349 Africa The continent south of EUROPE, east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN and west of the INDIAN OCEAN.

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