Traditional medicine, delays and hospital mortality of children under five years of age in the rural district of Kigoma, western Tanzania: an observational hospital-based study.

The use of traditional medicine in the treatment of 596 children aged 0-60 months before admission was common (41.4 %). Children were more likely to die if they had first been treated with traditional medicine (50/244; 20.5% vs 29/342; 8.5%) or were younger (median 9 vs 12 months old.) Children who had received traditional medicine were younger (median 11 vs. 13 months), came later for hospital treatment (median three vs. five days), had a longer journey on foot to reach the health centre (3.4 vs. 2.9 h), and died from common diseases and not from an obvious toxic syndrome.