New Delhi: Observed annually on October 17, the World Trauma Day aims to raise voices to support trauma victims and educate them to adhere to preventive measures to avoid any traumatic incidents.
History & Significance
The first annual World Trauma Day was observed in 2011 in New Delhi due to the high number of road traffic casualties. The day was established to lessen the number of casualties and long-term effects of trauma incidents across the globe. Traumatic injuries are a major cause of both morbidity and mortality, and their prevalence is rising rapidly. World Trauma Day was created to raise public awareness of the need to take preventative measures to lessen the number of casualties and injuries that can be caused by accidents.
What is Trauma
Trauma is defined as a physical injury caused to the body through different ways such as burns, falls, road accidents, domestic abuse, and natural disasters among others. Road accidents are the leading cause of trauma across the world. The causes of trauma are as wide-ranging and diverse as the definition of trauma. Violence, accidents at home and at work, and natural disasters are a few examples of what happens outside of traffic accidents.
The day raises awareness of the need for trauma care. Trauma prevention and trauma management can be taught to school-age children, the public, and health professionals. Providing the public with basic trauma care knowledge, including how to effectively administer first aid in an emergency, can save lives.
The Theme for World Trauma Day 2024
The theme for World Trauma Day 2024 is 'Workplace Injuries: Prevention & Management'. The day is observed globally on October 17 to reduce the number of trauma incidents in communities.
Trauma Casualties
The World Health Organization (WHO) published a global status report on road safety in 2018, stating that the number of annual road traffic deaths had reached 1.35 million and was the major killer of people aged 5–29 years. Furthermore, the burden was disproportionately borne by pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, in particular those in developing countries.
Road Accidents In India
Stating that road crashes are the biggest cause of deaths due to unintentional injuries in India, a report compiled by the Union Health Ministry has said that road accidents accounted for 43.7 per cent of unintentional injuries causing deaths. The report titled 'National Strategy for prevention of unintentional injury', also identified drowning, falls, poisoning and burns as the other contributors of such deaths due to unintentional injuries.
According to the report, there were 4,30,504 deaths from unintentional injuries and 1,70,924 deaths due to intentional injuries in India in 2022. "From 2016 to 2022, there has been a marginal increase in deaths due to unintentional and intentional injuries. Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) are the highest cause of unintentional injuries (43.7 per cent)," it said.
