As one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world, human trauma and injury disproportionately affects individuals in developing countries. This is particularly true in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, all too often occupational injuries are overlooked when examining injuries and injury prevention. For example many agencies responsible for injury prevention fail to even identify work injuries when discussing injuries that occur in the communities under examination. There is a critical need for a concerted, regional dialogue to address the significantly increasing morbidity and mortality from injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. We believe a process of dialogue that results in a major regional conference is necessary. As an extension of our existing and successful NIH Fogarty Center funded University of Maryland/Egyptian Ministry of Health Fogarty International Collaborative Trauma and Injury Research Training (ICTIRT) Program already in place in Egypt, we are seeking funding for the planning and implementation of a regional conference on the burden of injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. While the majority of the funds for the conference will come from other sources, we are requesting funds from NIOSH to ensure that occupational injuries are given emphasis during this conference. This support from NIOSH will enable us to greatly expand the focus of the overall conference with regard to occupational injuries. Injuries are increasingly being recognized as a major preventable cause of mortality and morbidity in many regions of the world. However, in the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Eastern Mediterranean Region, there has been insufficient recognition of the problem despite the very high rates of injury. In 2002 there were an estimated 348,281 deaths from injuries in this region. This includes 132,207 road traffic deaths or approximately 362 deaths per day and 2,535 deaths a week from just one cause of injury - roughly equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing each day. In 2000, injuries from the Eastern Mediterranean Region were responsible for an estimated 14.6 million disability adjusted life years. Road traffic injuries alone were responsible for the loss of an estimated 4.7 million disability adjusted life years in 2002. In addition, it is estimated that road traffic crashes cost 7.4 billion dollars each year, which is 1.5% of the gross national product of North Africa and the Middle East. It is critical to note that the poor and vulnerable people are disproportionately impacted by trauma and violence. However, it is important to note that there is very little data concerning the influence of work- related injuries within these statistics.
As one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world, human trauma and injury disproportionately affects individuals in developing countries. This is particularly true in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, all too often occupational injuries are overlooked when examining injuries and injury prevention.
