title: Traditional male circumcision-related fatalities in the Mthatha area of South Africa.
abstract: Traditional male circumcision is still widely practised by the Xhosa population throughout South Africa. Male circumcision is carried out mainly during summer and winter seasons. This is a retrospective record review of the male circumcision-related fatalities at Mthatha General Hospital during 2005 and 2006. The purpose of this study is to highlight the problem of circumcision-related deaths in the Mthatha area of South Africa. Twenty-five deaths related to traditional circumcisions were recorded over the period. The common causes of deaths were septicaemia (9 patients; 36%), pneumonia (5; 20%), dehydration (3; 12%), assault (3; 12%), thromboembolism (2; 8%), gangrene (2; 8%) and congestive heart failure (1; 4%). All fatalities were among black Africans with a median age of 17.56 (SD = 2.56) years. In seven deaths (28%) the young men came from the Libode District. The youngest victim was 12 years old. Most of the deaths (13; 52%) occurred in July 2006. The mortality associated with traditional male circumcision in the Mthatha area of South Africa is alarming.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, P/bag X1, Mthatha 5117, South Africa. bmeel@wsu.ac.za
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Meel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002944:Circumcision, Male / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013019:South Africa; D055815:Young Adult