Injuries and violence are a neglected epidemic in the World Health Organization European Region. The recently released WHO Global Burden of Disease - 2008 Statistics provides an opportunity to update policy-makers and practitioners of the significance of injury-related deaths. There is evidence that this leading cause of death and disability can be reduced through concerted preventive initiatives and the results presented here highlight the need for a call for action for the implementation of prevention programmes. This document aims to highlight the burden of injury deaths in the WHO European Region and describe inequalities in injuries by age, sex and geography. Key facts : * There were 664 000 deaths from unintentional and intentional injuries * They are the leading cause of death in people aged 5-44 years; * Costs to health services and society are very high; * The leading causes are self-directed violence, road traffic injuries and poisoning ; * There are inequalities in injury deaths with some of the world’s highest rates in low- and middle-income countries and the lowest rates in high-income countries; * Mortality rates in low- and middle-income countries are three times higher than in high-income countries; * Male mortality rates are 3.3 times higher than in females; * Public health action is needed to reduce the inequalities in injuries in the Region; and * Much is to be gained from the transfer of evidence-based prevention. (Author/publisher)
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