World Health Day 2004: Road Safety is no Accident

On April 7, 2004, hundreds of organizations will host events to help raise awareness about road traffic injuries, a serious public health problem with grave consequences and enormous costs to society. Globally, more than 1.2 million people are killed on the road annually. Millions more are injured or disabled. In some low and middle income countries, road crash victims occupy up to 10% of hospital beds. Deaths from all types of injuries are projected to rise from 5.1 million in 1990 to 8.4 million by 2020 - with road traffic injuries as a major cause for this increase. In the Americas, nearly 130,000 people die annually; more than 44,500 of them in the U.S. alone.

Yet the knowledge currently exists to take action on a number of fronts to prevent these needless deaths and disabilities. A global initiative dedicated to Road Safety will be launched on World Health Day, April 7, 2004. The initiative will include a global report, conferences and discussions in the United Nations General Assembly, and other high profile advocacy events. For more information, visit www.paho.org and select World Health Day 2004.

International Simulation Exercise in Colombia

More than 600 people participated in a drill—one of the largest in recent years—that took place in Bogota, Colombia. The objective was to strenghten local, national and international coordination and response in the face of an earthquake or a large-scale terrorist attack.

The event, which simulated a magnitude 7 earthquake, lasted 50 hours uninterrupted. Seven actual sites in different parts of the city of Bogota were used. The participants, from national and international agencies, worked in operations that ranged from the collapse of different structures to accidents with hazardous materials.

A variety of activities were put to the test, such as the implementation of emergency command centers, activation of national and international assistance, search and rescue, management of cadavers and others. The SUMA system (Management of Humanitarian Supplies), used the airport to classify and inventory incoming supplies and distribute them throughout the country.

For more information on this activity, contact Steven de Vriendt at devriens@col.ops-oms.org

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