Burns are common in Africa.  Children and young adults are mostly affected. This chapter discusses some of the risk factors and briefly looks at different types of burns.  

To determine the severity of a burn, we assess the depth of the tissue damage and the surface area of the burnt area. Be aware that grading wounds into first-, second-and third-degree burns have been replaced by the terms superficial, partial thickness, and full-thickness burns internationally.

This chapter focuses on partial-thickness burns, which often also have to be dealt with at lower-level health clinics. We present the standard of care regimen for these types of burns and discuss alternatives that can be used in areas with minimal resources. 

Here we have collected links to burn societies and other organizations providing help to burn victims on the continent.