The lasting legacy of war: epidemiology of injuries from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, 2002-2006.
نویسندگان
چکیده
INTRODUCTION Due to several decades of armed conflict and civil unrest, Afghanistan is one of the countries most affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance worldwide. OBJECTIVE The study was performed to assess the magnitude of injuries due to landmines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan during 2002-2006 and to describe epidemiological patterns and potential risk factors for these events. METHODS Surveillance data including 5,471 injuries caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan during 2002-2006 were analyzed. The International Committee of the Red Cross collects data on such injuries from 490 reporting health facilities and volunteers throughout the country. These surveillance data were used to describe injury trends, victim demographics, injury types, risk behaviors, and explosive types related to landmine and unexploded ordnance accidents. RESULTS The largest number of injuries (1,706) occurred in 2002. The number declined sharply to 1,049 injuries in 2003, and remained relatively stable with slight decline thereafter. Overall, 92% of victims were civilians, 91% were males, and 47% were children <18 years of age. The case-fatality ratio was 17%. Approximately 50% of all injuries were caused by unexploded ordnance and 42% by landmines. Among children, 65% of injuries were caused by unexploded ordnance and only 27% by landmines, whereas in adults, most injuries (56%) were caused by landmines. The most common risk behaviors among children were tending animals, playing, and tampering with explosive devices. In adults, most common risk behaviors were traveling, performing activities of economic necessity, and tampering with explosives. Twenty-eight percent of the surviving victims who received mine awareness training and 2% of those who did not receive such training reported that the area where event occurred was marked. CONCLUSIONS The large number of injuries and high proportion of child victims suggest that clearance and risk education activities fall short of achieving their goals, and must be substantially improved or expanded. Especially concerning is the high proportion of injuries caused by unexploded ordnance, and the high number of injuries sustained while tampering with explosive devices. Because unexploded ordnance is more visible than are landmines, and ordnance-contaminated areas are cheaper to clear than are minefields, these injuries are highly preventable and should be a priority for clearance and risk education efforts.
منابع مشابه
Death and injury from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan.
CONTEXT Afghanistan is one of the countries most affected by injuries due to landmines and unexploded ordnance. OBJECTIVE To understand the epidemiological patterns and risk factors for injury due to landmines and unexploded ordnance. DESIGN AND SETTING Analysis of surveillance data on landmine and unexploded ordnance injuries in Afghanistan collected by the International Committee of the R...
متن کاملInjuries and deaths caused by unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan: review of surveillance data, 1997-2002.
We reviewed the surveillance database on injuries due to unexploded ordnance and landmines maintained by the United Nations Mine Action Center for Afghanistan. About 70% of records in the database came from the clinic based surveillance system operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which, in 2002, included 390 health facilities. Other data were collected through mine clearanc...
متن کاملSeen but not heard: injuries and deaths from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Chechnya, 1994-2005.
INTRODUCTION Due to more than a decade of armed conflict and civil unrest, Chechnya is among the regions most affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance worldwide. HYPOTHESIS The study was performed to assess the magnitude of injuries and deaths due to landmines and unexploded ordnance in Chechnya between 1994 and 2005 and to describe epidemiologic patterns and risk factors for these event...
متن کاملInjuries and deaths from landmines and unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, 2002-2006.
Peter B. Bach, MD, MAPP Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York James R. Jett, MD Division of Pulmonary Medicine and Oncology Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota Ugo Pastorino, MD Division of Thoracic Surgery Istituto Tumori Milan, Italy Melvyn S. Tockman, MD, PhD Department of Cancer Prevention and Control Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa,...
متن کاملRisk Assessment of Mined Areas Using Fuzzy Inference
During the World War I ,II over fifty countries in the world today have been inherited a legacy of antipersonnel landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) which represents a major threat to lives, and hinders reconstruction and development efforts. Landmines have specific properties that make it harder to detect .Therefore; these properties lead landmine detectors to become more complex. Many exa...
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Prehospital and disaster medicine
دوره 23 6 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2008