title: Need for paediatric surgery care in an urban area of The Gambia.
abstract: The report evaluates the need for paediatric surgical care in an urban area of sub-Saharan Africa. Seven hundred and forty-one children were treated for surgical problems from January through December 1997. The most common surgical problems were injuries (67.1%), congenital anomalies (15.0%) and surgical infections (6.7%). Forty-six per cent of children presenting with a surgical problem required a surgical procedure, 68.2% of which were classified as minor. The annual presentation rate for all surgical conditions was 543 per 10,000 children aged 0-14 years. The estimated cumulative risk for all surgical conditions is 85.4% by age 15 years. Our data suggest surgical diseases commonly affect children living in Banjul. Surgical care should be an essential component of child health programmes in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Royal Victoria Hospital, Banjul, The Gambia. Sbickler@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Stephen W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Bickler
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Telfer
authors.forename: Boto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sanno-Duanda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005714:Gambia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health