Abstract
BackgroundArbaeenia is the largest religious mass gathering in Iraq. The conditions associated with mass gatherings result in high rates of injury. There have been no prior studies on injuries during the Arbaeenia mass gathering.ObjectiveThis study describes the injuries observed during the Arbaeenia mass gathering in Babel Governorate in Iraq between November 24 and December 14, 2014.MethodsThe study was conducted in Babel Governorate at the emergency departments of six public hospitals and two major temporary medical units that were located along the three roads connecting the Middle and Southern Iraqi governorates. We used the Iraq Injury Surveillance System modified form to collect information on injured patients treated in the selected facilities. Data on fatal injuries was obtained from the coroner’s office. The following data were collected from the patients: demographics, outcome of injury, place and time of occurrence, mode of evacuation and medical care before arriving at the hospital, duration of travel from place of occurrence to hospital, disposition of non-fatal injury, cause and mode of injury, and whether the injury occurred in connection with the Arbaeenia mass gathering.ResultsInformation was collected on 1564 injury cases, of which 73 were fatal. About half of the reported nonfatal injuries, 687/1404 (48.9%), and a quarter of fatalities, 18/73 (25%) were related to the Arbaeenia mass gathering (P<.001). Most of the reported injuries were unintentional, 1341/1404 (95.51%), occurred on the street, 864/1323 (65.6%), occurred during the daytime 1103/1174 (93.95 %). Most of those injured were evacuated by means other than ambulance 1107/1206 (91.79%) and did not receive pre-hospital medical care 788/1163 (67.7%). Minor injuries 400/1546 (25.9%) and traffic accidents 394/1546 (25.5%) were the most common types of injuries, followed by falls 270/1546 (17.5%). Among fatal injuries, traffic accidents 38/73 (52%) and violence 18/73 (25%) were the leading causes of death. Mass gathering injuries were more likely to occur among individuals aged 21-40 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.5; 95% CI 2.7-4.5) and >41 years (OR 7.6; 95% CI 5.4-10.6) versus those <21 years; more likely to be unintentional than assault (OR 5.3; 95% CI 1.8-15.5); more likely to happen on the street versus at home (OR 37.7; 95% CI 22.4-63.6); less likely to happen at night than during the day (OR 0.2; 95% CI 0.1-0.4); and less likely to result in hospital admission (OR 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.7).ConclusionsThe study shows that most injuries were minor, unintentional, and nonfatal, and most people with injuries had limited access to ambulance transportation and did not require hospitalization.
Highlights
Mass gatherings are defined as events with an attendance of more than 1000 persons or as events attended by more than 25,000 people [1]
The study was conducted in Babel Governorate at the emergency departments of six public hospitals and two major temporary medical units that were located along the three roads connecting the Middle and Southern Iraqi governorates
The following data were collected from the patients: demographics, outcome of injury, place and time of occurrence, mode of evacuation and medical care before arriving at the hospital, duration of travel from place of occurrence to hospital, disposition of non-fatal injury, cause and mode of injury, and whether the injury occurred in connection with the Arbaeenia mass gathering
Summary
Mass gatherings are defined as events with an attendance of more than 1000 persons or as events attended by more than 25,000 people [1]. Injuries that occur during mass gatherings are often due to overcrowding, stampedes, terrorism, and spiritual acts [2,3]. Injuries and noncommunicable diseases are responsible for more deaths and morbidity during mass gatherings than communicable diseases [4]. During the annual Hajj, trauma is a major cause of injury and death. In 2010, the Iraq Injury Surveillance System (IISS) was established in major hospitals and coroners’ offices to enable timely electronic reporting of injuries. Al-Hilla hospital, a major referral hospital in Babel Governorate, and the Babel Coroner’s Office were added to the roll of IISS reporting facilities in 2013 [8]. Arbaeenia is the largest religious mass gathering in Iraq. The conditions associated with mass gatherings result in high rates of injury. There have been no prior studies on injuries during the Arbaeenia mass gathering
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