Burn injuries in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The pattern of burn injuries in Port Harcourt, Nigeria is presented for the first time. Ninety-two patients were studied and 43 (46.74 per cent) of them were children in the 0-5 years age range. Thirty-seven of the children in this group suffered from scalds and six from flame burns. Petrol fire was the commonest cause of flame burns. The overall mortality was 26.09 per cent and the majority of deaths occurred in burns covering over 50 per cent of the total body surface area. Improved parental supervision of children, in particular toddlers, a more reliable public power supply system, a ban on carrying petrol in open containers in the streets and public enlightenment campaigns are advocated by the authors as preventive measures.