Reducing the trauma burden in the United Arab Emirates: A brief report

Injuries and violence are major public health issues worldwide and account for nearly one out of every 10 deaths every year. Globally, more than nine people die every minute from injuries or violence - that’s 5.8 million people per year of all ages and economic groups who die each year from both unintentional and violence related injuries [1]. Trauma is the second leading cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for both national and expatriate populations, accounting for over 20% of all fatalities. It is more prevalent in males, specifically young, male Emiratis. Road traffic incidents are the primary cause of fatal injuries in Abu Dhabi accounting for 67% of all deaths from trauma. This compares to road traffic incidents accounting for 22% of all deaths in the USA [2]. Trauma is also the leading cause of death in children aged 5-19 and women (of all ages) in the UAE [3]. In comparison, the three leading causes of injury and violencerelated deaths in the USA are road traffic incidents (1.3 million), suicides (844,000) and homicides (600,000) [4]. The morbidity associated with trauma poses an even greater burden on society than mortality. Road traffic incidents result in 20-50 million injuries every year, and these injuries cost approximately $518 billion annually [5;6].