African men most at risk of fatal burns, finds SA Journal of Science

THERMAL and electrical burn injuries affect millions of people globally each year and South Africa is a developing country in which fatal fires are common.

In research recently published in the South African Journal of Science, Craig Keyes and Khumo Liphok found those most at risk of fatal burns are “black African individuals, male individuals, and individuals 30 to 39 years old”.

Keyes and Liphok reviewed 185 case files of fatal burns received at the Johannesburg Forensic Pathology Services Medico-Legal Laboratory from 2010 to 2014, with the aim of describing the demographics and frequency of cases, and to compare the burn mortality rates between Johannesburg and those reported in Cape Town, Pretoria and Mpumalanga.

They found the demographics at the greatest risk of fatal burns in Johannesburg are black Africans (2.11 per 100 000) and male (1.03 per 100 000) individuals, and those in the 30 to 39-year age group (3.6 per 100 000).

Children aged 0–9 years had a high mortality rate due to thermal burns (3.44 per 100 000).

The most common type of fatal burn is thermal in nature, as a result of flames (1.62 per 100 000).

Electrical burns are relatively rare (0.3 per 100 000).

“Flames were the most common cause of fatal burns and the scene was often in a residential dwelling (formal and informal settlements).

“This scenario is common in South Africa as it has been observed in studies performed in other South African locations. The high number of fatal thermal and flame-related burns in informal residential areas is due, in part, to unsafe cooking appliances such as petroleum-based stoves. These stoves are cheap and portable. Furthermore, candles are often used as a light source. These unsafe appliances, combined with the flammability of the materials used to construct informal residences, non-compliance with fire safety standards, and the close proximity and density of the dwelling structures allow for fires to spread quickly.”

The authors noted that limitations to the study included case file documents being incomplete or lacking detail.

“In this study we did not investigate the pathology of the burns and the causes of death, which can be further explored in future studies. Due to a large national backlog in toxicology testing in South Africa (an up to 7 to 10-year delay in test results), toxicology, blood alcohol concentration and blood carboxyhaemoglobin level were not explored in the present study…

“A five-year retrospective review of forensic medico-legal case files indicates that ... burn wounds are most common to the head, chest, back, and abdomen. Johannesburg has a lower burn mortality rate than other regions in South Africa. This study is the first to report on fatal burns in Johannesburg.”