Volume 41, Issue 2, March 2015, Pages 203–211
Review
Traditional burn care in sub-Saharan Africa: A long history with wide acceptance
Highlights
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- Traditional healers play an important role in the provision of burn care in Africa.
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- Traditional medicine is seen as an affordable and respected treatment modality.
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- Traditional burn management includes plant, animal and mineral products.
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- Effectiveness, dosage and adverse reactions are unknown.
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- More research on the efficacy of Traditional Medicine is needed.
Abstract
Burns
are very common in sub-Saharan Africa and are considered to be a major
health care problem. The management of burns in many African countries
is challenged by limited financial resources, inaccessible health care
facilities, lack of trained professionals and superstition. These
limitations are related to the many burned patients seeking treatment
from traditional healers. The use of traditional remedies, plant and
animal products are seen as an important aspect of burn management as it
is both an affordable and respected treatment modality. Despite its
popularity, the use of traditional burn care remedies is faced with many
challenges as little research has been done on its effectiveness,
dosage and adverse reactions.
This paper reviewed
the traditions and customs associated with traditional burn care as well
as the use of plant, animal and mineral products used by traditional
healers.
Keywords
- Africa;
- Traditional medicine;
- Burns
- Corresponding author at: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Red Cross Children's Hospital, Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel.:
+27 21 658 5346; fax: +27 21 685 6632.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.
