Esophageal burns: mission to Mali from September 4 to 11, 2021

Chaîne de l’Espoir is organizing, in close collaboration with Mali Hospital in Bamako, from September 4 to 11, 2021, a surgical, training and awareness mission focusing on the management of caustic burns of the esophagus.

Accidental ingestion of caustic soda is a real public health problem in West Africa.

Corrosive products such as caustic soda are widely used in artisanal soap-making, dyeing, hairdressing and culinary preparations. Similar to harmless products within the reach of children, these products cause extremely painful and irreversible lesions. As the esophagus heals, it narrows, preventing the child from eating or drinking, or only through a gastric tube connected directly to the stomach.

It is a largely underestimated cause of mortality, affecting one of the poorest segments of the population in West Africa. These all-too-common accidents highlight the need to raise awareness of the use and dangers of caustic soda among users, retailers, local authorities and healthcare personnel, in order to prevent the dangers of its use and ensure better care for children, who are its first victims.

This program to prevent and treat caustic burns of the esophagus, set up in Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, is supported by theAgence Française de Développement, the Terre des Hommes Lausanne Foundation for Mali and the Côte d’Ivoire Red Cross.

This mission will take place from September 4 to 11 at the Mali Hospital. A team from Marseille’s CHU La Timone, led by Pr Xavier Benoît D’Journo, thoracic and esophageal surgeon, will accompany the Malian team led by Pr Sadio Yena, head of the cardio-thoracic department at Mali Hospital. Prof. Yena has been involved for many years in the prevention and care of children suffering from these accidents. He is widely recognized in the sub-region.

For this mission, 13 selected children will benefit from either esophageal dilatation or esophageal replacement. They have already been integrated into a re-nutrition structure in Bamako, an essential phase prior to surgery.

La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an international NGO founded in 1994 and present in nearly 30 countries. Its mission is to strengthen healthcare systems to give everyone, especially children, the same chances of survival and development.