In Mexico, a Call for Action on Violence and Injuries

Injuries and violence kill 5 million people worldwide every year—about equal to the number of deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Yet the financing available to fight the latter is ten times greater than what's available to fight the former.

Experts from around the world called for a change in that equation at the 9th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion in Merida, Mexico, in mid-March. The four-day conference gathered some 1,200 researchers, practitioners, policymakers and advocates to discuss the toll of violence and injuries, the need for action, and recent advances in scientific knowledge in the area.

Some 300,000 people die each year in the Americas due to violence and injuries, making them the the fourth-leading cause of death in theAmericas.Nearly half (48 percent and 47 percent, respectively) of global firearms-related homicides and suicides take place in theWestern Hemisphere.

Ministers of health from the region met before the conference and in a joint declaration called for strengthening prevention by addressing the root causes of violence and injuries, including alcohol abuse, availability of firearms, lack of seatbelt and helmet use, excessive speed, and drinking and driving.

In the opening session, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Mirta Roses called for a focus on prevention among vulnerable groups such as women, children, youths, pedestrians, motorcyclists, the elderly, migrants, and the poor. She also urged more networking and intersectorial efforts.

Other participants presented findings from studies conducted in countries around the world, including:

• Traffic crashes cost the state of Mexico some $300 million each year, equivalent to 25 percent of the state's health budget.
• Pedestrians account for 60 percent of traffic deaths in Latin America but only 12 percent in Canada and the United States.
• In India, 80,000 to 140,000 women die of burns annually, but less than one-fourth of the deaths appear in police reports.
• In Italy, a demerit point system increased seatbelt use among drivers by more than 50 percent and prevented an estimated 1,500 deaths over 18 months.
• In Sweden, boys and girls whose mothers have been exposed to violence have poorer physical health than children of mothers who are not exposed, and girls with such mothers are more likely to have psychological and behavioral problems.
• Land mines and unexploded ordnance cause deaths and injuries around the world, including 45 deaths per year in Vietnam's Quang Tri province and more than 1,000 injuries per year in Afghanistan.
• U.S. children ages 3 to 5 face significant risk of choking due to objects they put in their mouths, suggesting that choking prevention efforts should focus on this age group, not just children 3 and under.

PAHO's teamleader on violence prevention and road safety, Alberto Concha-Eastman, presented the results of a study that concluded that youth development and violence prevention programs would benefit from more uniform monitoring methods.

PAHO's regional advisor on adolescent health, Matilde Maddaleno, presented a PAHO/GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) study that supports a holistic approach to violence prevention, including youth development and gender perspectives.

In their joint declaration, the ministers of health also called for better data collection and improved services for victims and urged all ministries of health to set up or strengthen units dedicated to violence and injury prevention, and to give these the appropriate budgeting, staffing, and authority.

The conference was hosted by Mexico's National Institute on Public Health and sponsored by the World Health Organization. Support also came from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of California at Los Angeles, the Colorado Injury Control Research Center at Colorado State University, the Mexican Foundation for Health (FUNSALUD), and Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).