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Deaths due to Intentional Explosions in Selected Governorates of Iraq from 2010 to 2013: Prospective Surveillance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2015

Oleg O. Bilukha ,
Eva Z. Leidman ,
Abdul-Salam Saleh Sultan  and
Syed Jaffar Hussain
Oleg O. Bilukha*
Affiliation:
Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia USA
Eva Z. Leidman
Affiliation:
Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia USA
Abdul-Salam Saleh Sultan
Affiliation:
Human Resources Training and Development Center, Ministry of Health, Baghdad, Iraq
Syed Jaffar Hussain
Affiliation:
World Health Organization, International Zone, UNAMI Compound, Baghdad, Iraq
*
Correspondence: Oleg Bilukha, MD, PhD Associate Director of Science Emergency Response and Recovery Branch Division of Global Health Protection Center for Global Health Building 2500, Mailstop E-22 2500 Century Parkway, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30345 USA E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Introduction

The aim of this study was to describe the most recent trends and epidemiologic patterns of fatal injuries resulting from explosions in Iraq, one of the countries most affected by violence from explosive devices.

Methods

Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) routine prospective injury surveillance collects information on all fatal injuries recorded by coroners from physical examinations, police reports, and family members in eight governorates of Iraq: Baghdad, Al-Anbar, Basrah, Erbil, Kerbala, Maysan, Ninevah, and Al-Sulaimaniya. This study analyzed explosive-related fatal injuries that occurred from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2013.

Results

Analysis included 2,803 fatal injuries. The number of fatal injuries declined from 2010 through 2012, followed by an increase in 2013. One-thousand one-hundred and one explosion-related fatalities were documented in 2013, more than twice as many as in 2012 or in 2011. Most fatalities were among men aged 20-39 years. Of all causalities, 194 (6.9%) were among females and 302 (10.8%) were among children aged less than 18 years. The majority of fatalities were caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs): car bombs (15.3%), suicide bombs (4.0%), and other IEDs (29.6%). The highest number of fatalities occurred in streets and roads. Of all deaths, 95.6% occurred in three governorates: Baghdad, Ninevah, and Al-Anbar.

Conclusions

Explosives continue to result in a high number of fatal injuries in Iraq. Following a period of declining violence from explosives, in 2013, fatalities increased. Most explosion-related injuries resulted from IEDs; males aged 20-39 years were at greatest risk.

BilukhaOO , LeidmanEZ , SultanASS , HussainSJ . Deaths due to Intentional Explosions in Selected Governorates of Iraq from 2010 to 2013: Prospective Surveillance. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(6):586–592.

Keywords

explosionsfatal outcomeIraqmortalitypublic health surveillancewounds/injuries
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 2015 , pp. 586 - 592
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2015 

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