PATTERN AND PREVALENCE
OF ACCIDENTS IN CHILDHOOD IN KHARTOUM STATE
Hashim MSirK
Dept. of Pediatrics,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, P. O. Box 102, Khartoum, Sudan
Accidents
“phenomenon” is an increasing international problem with growing magnitude,
ranking fifth in the leading causes of death worldwide.
This
is a retrospective, comparative, household study conducted in Khartoum
State-Elawda, Elfitayhab and El Gazira Slang-from January 1998 to December
1998. The study was designed and conducted to determine the prevalence and
pattern of accidental injuries in both the urban and rural communities. It
included 600 children equally divided between urban and rural areas.
166
children (27.7%) sustained an accidental injury during the study period.
The majority of whom were in age group 4-9 years. The prevalence was more
or less similar in both the urban and rural areas. Falls were the commonest
cause of accidents (77%), but they were the least serious. However,
drowning although was the least common, accounting for only (1.9%) of the
total accidental injuries yet, it was the leading cause of serious and
grave consequences. Incapacity due to accidents occurred in (9.1%) of
children while death was the tragic outcome in (3.6%). The majority of accident
victims had, fortunately, apparent full recovery (87.3%). These findings
were comparable to the results reported in various studies elsewhere.
Accidents
are a prevalent problem in both urban and rural areas with serious yet,
preventable sequalae. Nevertheless, little has been done in both research
and prevention disciplines. More efforts are needed to explore the accident
phenomenon in S uden and to raise the public and governmental wareness.
This is in particular required from Ministries of Health and Education so
as to adopt a great concern, more attention and prompt action, such as
national prevention programmes, to achieve the desired objectives and
targets.