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The One Bullet Story: A Tale of Small Arms Violence

This project by Aiming for Prevention, an IPPNW Campaign on Public Health Consequences of Small Arms, highlights the devastating impact of gunshot injuries. The story follows a 17-year-old Congolese boy who traveled 3000km for medical treatment after being shot in the face. The costs of surgery, rehabilitation, and psychological trauma are detailed, emphasizing the toll of Small Arms Violence on individuals and communities. The narrative sheds light on the broader issues of Small Arms Proliferation and their contribution to global conflicts. The project calls for a public health approach to prevent such injuries and advocates for data collection, risk factor identification, and intervention design. The medical community is urged to educate, advocate, and provide care for victims of armed violence.

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The One Bullet Story: A Tale of Small Arms Violence

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  1. The One Bullet Story A project of: Aiming for Prevention: An IPPNW Campaign on the Public Health Consequences of Small Arms IPPNW 66-70 Union Square, #204 Somerville, Massachusetts, 02143 USA www.ippnw.org Project Design: IPPNW-Kenya, Walter Odhiambo M.D., & IPPNW Central Office

  2. The Human Face of Small Arms Violence The costs of injuries are high lMedical l Psychological lSocial l Community l Economic

  3. Focus on: IPPNW Kenya Authors: Dr. Walter Odhiambo, Prof. Symon Guthua, and Paul Saoke

  4. We present the story of a 17-year old Congolese boy referred to Nairobi University Hospital for surgical treatment and management of a gunshot injury to the face …

  5. The son of a diamond prospector, he was suspected to have diamonds by rebel soldiers, who shot him in the face in anger after they failed to get any from him. He was fortunate to receive first aid treatment, but had to travel to Nairobi for proper medical care…

  6. Ajourney of 3000km through Uganda by road!

  7. It took him over one year to raise the money from family and friends for travel and treatment. During this period he kept his mouth, which was disfigured by the bullet, covered with a handkerchief in public.

  8. His mandible and maxillary bones were shattered by the bullet. • An implant was required to replace the lost jaw fragment.

  9. 9 hours of surgery, at a cost of USD $6,000.00

  10. Stainless steel bone plate inserted

  11. After 9 hours of surgery

  12. Five days after surgery

  13. 9 Hours of theatre time + 9 Hours of theatre drugs + Reconstruction plate + Surgeon and nurses + Travel expenses from injury site in DR Congo + Pre-admission hotel expenses + Post-operative care = $6,000.00 USD + psychological & social costs…like post-traumatic stress disorder.

  14. SALW injuries are a burden on health care facilities

  15. $6,000 = One Bullet Injury, or…in Kenya... $6,000 = One year of primary education for 100 children $6,000 = Full immunizations for 250 children $6,000 = 1 1/2 years education for a medical student $6,000 = 10 years of daily ugali meal for an average Kenyan family of six

  16. …2-300,000 deaths per year as a result of small arms • …900 million small arms and light weapons are in circulation worldwide; • ... Of 49 major conflicts in the 1990s, 47 were waged with small arms as the weapons of choice; • …Annual global arms trade is estimated at $70 billion dollars.

  17. Small Arms – A man-made disease!

  18. Proliferation – Armed children!

  19. Small Arms Violence is a Public Health Crisis Solutions include a public health approach: • Collect data • Identify Risk Factors • Design interventions • Prevent injuries

  20. Smalls Arms is a Health Crisis We Can Contain!!

  21. What Can The Medical Community Do? • Educate colleagues about public health dimensions of armed violence • Collect injury and mortality data to use for advocacy and policy change • Help design violence prevention strategies • Care + rehabilitation for victims of violence

  22. Acknowledgements • Patamule Lampanya – The boy who traveled all the way from DR Congo to Nairobi in pursuit of surgical reconstruction after gunshot to the face and whose story inspired the first One Bullet Story, for consenting to the use of his pictures and story in this campaign. • University of Nairobi Maxillofacial Surgery department and the hospital staff for providing the theatre facilities and recovery ward for our patient. • The Embassy of Finland in Nairobi for sponsoring the initial One Bullet Story campaign in Kenya. • IPPNW Central office (Aiming for Prevention) for refining and adopting the OBS as its official small arms campaign tool. For funding:

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