THE INCIDENCE OF LANDMINE INJURIES IN KUITO, ANGOLA

Angola is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Despit e the vast effort made to clear landmines, very few accurate figures f or casualty rates are available. The town of Kuito in central Angola i s surrounded by minefields left after the 22-month siege by the rebel UNITA forces. Many are in close proximity to residential areas. This r etrospective audit assesses the incidence of landmine injuries in the wake of the siege, and the levels of amputation resulting from these w ounds. Between January and October 1995, 94 landmine injuries occurred (60 from anti-personnel mines, 34 from anti-tank mines). Mine injurie s accounted for 11.8% of the admissions to the surgical ward of Kuito hospital, but for 20.2% of the total number of operations performed. T he distribution of injuries between the sexes was roughly equal (33 ma les:27 females), but women required more above-knee amputations than m en (16/20 versus 14/27). Mortality from anti-personnel mines was 1.7% (1/60). Seventy per cent of all lower limb amputations in Kuito are pe rformed as a result of landmine injury (53/76). Landmines exert a seve re strain on already stretched surgical services, and a significant bu rden of morbidity on the population of Kuito.