Citation

Sukhai A. Inj. Saf. Mon. 2003; 2: 2-4.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Medical Research Council of South Africa)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

The National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS) produces and disseminates descriptive epidemiological information that is readily available from documentation that arises from medico-legal postmortem investigations. In 2001 we had 32 mortuaries in 6 different provinces that contributed their data to this system. These cases accounted for between 32% and 39% of all non-natural mortality in South Africa.


The concept of "childhood" or "children" is not standardized and may refer to different age groups in different contexts. For this paper, children or childhood injuries refer to all "non-adult" cases and include the more conventional 0 to 14-year child group and the adolescent age group from 15 to 19 years. Trauma profiles differ not only between adults and children, but also markedly between the different child age groups, and these profiles have important implications for intervention.


Childhood injuries accounted for 3130 (14.4%) of all non-natural mortality, 1519 (19.0%) of all unintentional injury deaths and 425 (20.7%) of all pedestrian deaths. Among childhood deaths, 55.7% were unintentional. Pedestrian injuries contributed to 28.0% of these unintentional childhood deaths. Other risk and demographic details are provided.