Injury surveillance in a rural sub-Saharan setting: Results from a pilot surveillance initiative in Nzega District, Tanzania

Introduction: Ninety percent of all injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries and most of these injuries are largely preventable. Most injury surveillance systems are focused in large urban settings, which largely ignore injury mechanisms in rural contexts which are critical settings for planning future prevention efforts. Methods: Injury event information was collected from July 1 to July 31, 2013 at Nzega District Hospital (NDH) in central Tanzania using an injury questionnaire derived from World Health Organization injury surveillance guidelines. One hundred injured patients were enrolled and surveyed about the location of their injury, cause and other contextual and demographic factors. Results: Seventy-nine percent of participants were males and the most prevalent injury cause for all participants was road traffic collisions, making up 31\% of the injuries. Violence was the second most prevalent cause, accounting for 28\% of the injuries, and the number one cause of injuries for women. Twenty-three percent (n=7) of patients suffering from injuries due to road traffic collisions were given a prognosis of long-term disability of six months or more. Conclusion: Nzega District experienced a large number of injuries in a one-month period, consistent with other studies conducted in low- and middle-income country settings and is higher than several infectious diseases already considered pressing public health problems. More comprehensive data collection is required in order to fully understand the extent of this public health problem.