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Review
. 2018 Mar 27;13(3):e0194692.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194692. eCollection 2018.

Child injuries in Ethiopia: A review of the current situation with projections

Qingfeng Li  1 , Olakunle Alonge  1 , Collene Lawhorn  2 , Yirga Ambaw  3 , Smita Kumar  3 , Troy Jacobs  2 , Adnan A Hyder  1
Affiliations
Review

Child injuries in Ethiopia: A review of the current situation with projections

Qingfeng Li et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Heavy burden of child injuries and lack of policy response in Ethiopia call for an improved understanding of the situation and development of action plans from multiple governmental agencies and stakeholders.

Methods: A consortium of international and Ethiopian researchers and stakeholders used extensive literature review and mixed analytical methods to estimate and project the burden of fatal and non-fatal child unintentional injuries in Ethiopia from 2015 to 2030. Estimates were derived for children aged 0-14 years. Data sources include a longitudinal study conducted by the Central Statistics Agency of Ethiopia and the World Bank as well as model-based estimates from World Health Organization 2017 and Global Burden of Disease 2016 project.

Results: Injuries caused about 25 thousand deaths among 0-14-year olds in Ethiopia in 2015. The leading cause of fatal child unintentional injuries in Ethiopia was road-traffic injuries, followed by fire, heat and hot substances and drowning. The death rate due to injuries among 0-14 years olds was about 50 percent higher in males than females. Rural children were exposed to a greater risk of injury than their urban peers. The longitudinal survey suggests that the incidence rate of child injuries increased during the period 2011-2014. The annual mortality caused by injuries is projected to increase from 10,697 in 2015 to 11,279 in 2020 and 11,989 in 2030 among children under 5 years, an increase of 12 percentage points in 15 years. The number of deaths among 0-14-year olds will be 26,463, 27,807, and 30,364 respectively in 2015, 2020, and 2030.

Conclusions: As the first multisectoral collaboration on child injuries in Ethiopia, this study identified gaps in understanding of the burden of child injuries in Ethiopia. In consultation with Ethiopian government and other stakeholders, we propose starting an injury surveillance system at health clinics and hospitals and building an intervention package based on existing platforms.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Under-five injury deaths by cause globally and in Ethiopia, 2005 and 2015.
Source: Global Health Estimates 2017.
Fig 2
Fig 2. The ratio of male over female fatality rate due to all injuries (upper left), drowning (upper right), fire, heat and hot substance (lower left), and road injuries (lower right) by age group in Ethiopia: 1990–2016.
Source: Global Burden of Disease 2016.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Four measures of health burden of injuries in Ethiopia (thousand), 2005 and 2015.
Source: Global Health Estimates 2017.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Four measures of health burden of injuries in Ethiopia (rate per 100,000): 2005 and 2015.
Source: Global Health Estimates 2017.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Injury rate per 100,000 children in rural areas, small towns, large towns, and the whole country: ERSS 2011–2012 and ESS 2013–2014.
Source: Ethiopian Rural Socioeconomic Survey (ERSS) 2011–2012; Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey (ESS) 2013–2014.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Predicted annual incidence of injuries and deaths in Ethiopia: 2015–2050.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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