Injuries and violence are major problems impairing health and welfare of vulnerable populations. Worldwide, an estimated 5.2 million people died of injuries in 2002. This accounted for 9% of mortality and 12% of the world's burden of disease. In the Western Pacific Region, there were an estimated 1.2 million injury-related deaths or 3300 deaths per day (accounting for approximately 24% of the world's injury related deaths) and 42 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in the year 2000.

The top five causes of injury deaths in the Region in 2000 were self-inflicted injury or suicide (approximately 318 000 deaths per year), road traffic accidents (292 000), drowning (137 000), falls (109 000) and poisoning (73 000).

Problems associated with injuries and violence include: insufficient awareness and understanding of the magnitude of the problem; a lack of national policies and plans on injury prevention; and a limited national capacity to collect and analyse injury data and design interventions. WHO provides countries with support to develop and implement national policies, programmes and legislation on injury prevention; to promote public awareness and political commitment; and to strengthen national capacities in surveillance, intervention and monitoring.

Fact sheets

• Fact Sheets from the World Report on road traffic injury prevention (WHO Headquarters)
• Fact Sheets from the World report on violence and health (WHO Headquarters)

News and press releases

20 April 2007
Young people and motorbikes—unsafe at any speed, says WHO
[full text]

30 March 2007
Pacific island countries meet to curb injury and violence
[full text]

5 April 2004
WHO warns of mounting death toll on Asian roads
[full text]

Relevant publications and documents

Upcoming meetings and events

No meeting/event planned at this time.