East African medical journal
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Injuries are common and on increase in most developing countries, including sub-Saharan Africa. A large proportion of the injuries are caused by road traffic accidents, falls, burns, assaults, bites, stings and other animal-related injuries, poisonings, drownings/near-drownings and suicide. Globally, injuries are responsible for about five per cent of the total mortality, and the overall global annual costs were estimated in the late 1980s at around 500 billion US dollars. ⋯ The outcome of emergency medical care and of different forms of transport and referral needs to be determined. Different combinations of preventive interventions needs to be evaluated. This review is intended as guidance for those who need a broad overview of the subject of injury occurrence and prevention in Africa, for example in preparation for the development of injury control programmes or to help identify issues requiring further research in this field.