Alarming rise in fatal electrocutions in Bangladesh: Comparison of two national surveys.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Electrical injuries are major contributor to burn-related mortality and morbidity. Mortality data were compared from the two largest community-based health and injury surveys in Bangladesh conducted thirteen years apart to investigate the changes in epidemiological features of this adverse health event. METHODS:The nationwide Bangladesh Health and injury surveys (BHIS) were conducted among 819,429 people in 2003 and 299,216 in 2016 using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire at the household level. History of electrocution death events in previous one year in the household was determined by verbal autopsy method in both surveys. Thus, each survey result represents the scenario of the year before. Descriptive and comparative analysis was done to investigate the changes in the distribution of electrocution deaths. RESULTS:The incidence of electrocution deaths was 1.7 and 4.3 per 100,000 population respectively in the 2003 and 2016 survey. The majority of the cases were aged between 18 to 59 years in both years. The comparison of the two survey results shows that the death rates increased in every age group those were examined. The rates were persistently higher in rural areas compared to the urban. Moreover, the rural mortality rate increased strikingly in 2015. The highest proportion of fatal electrocution events occurred at workplaces and males had a higher mortality rate in contrast to females in both the surveys. The death rate in males doubled in 2015 (6.0 per 100,000) from 2002 rate (3.1 per 100,000). CONCLUSION:Electrocution mortality rates have raisen alarmingly between 2002 and 2015. Working persons and males have a higher susceptibility to deaths from electrocution. Rural areas pose greater threats compared to urban Bangladesh. Being derived from a nationwide survey, these facts provide with useful direction to set priorities for prevention of this emerging unnatural cause of death in the country.