Citation

Lerer LB, Matzopoulos RG, Phillips R. S. Afr. Med. J. 1997; 87(3): 298-301.

Affiliation

Health Technology Research Group, University of Cape Town.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, South African Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9137337

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe accurately the violence and injury mortality in a South African city and demonstrate the utility of secondary data sources to identify injury control priorities. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of medicolegal laboratory (state mortuary), forensic and police data. SETTING: Metropolitan Cape Town, 1994. RESULTS: Non-natural causes (deaths due to homicide, suicide, accidents and undetermined causes) accounted for almost 4000 deaths, which comprised approximately 30% of all-cause mortality during 1994. The five main violence and injury mortality categories were: homicide (1789 cases; 46% of all non-natural mortality), transport accidents (1130 cases; 29% of all non-natural mortality), fire (295 deaths; 8% of all non-natural mortality), suicide (291 deaths; 7% of all non-natural mortality) and drowning (96 cases; 2% of all non-natural mortality). CONCLUSIONS: Priority issues in injury control include the increasing homicidal and suicidal use of firearms, road and rail commuter injury and the spatial distribution of injury. Surveillance, based on non-natural mortality, should be included in local, regional and national health information systems.

Language: en