The JMIR Public Health and Surveillance article Injuries Reported by Selected Health Facilities During the Arbaeenia Mass Gathering at Babel Governorate, Iraq, 2014 examines injuries during the Arbaeenia religious gathering in Iraq. Published on 28 May 2020, it analyzes 1,564 injuries reported by hospitals, temporary medical units and coroners in Babel Governorate between November and December 2014.
Key Insights
Of 1,564 injuries, 73 were fatal. About 49% of nonfatal injuries and 25% of deaths were related to the mass gathering.
Most injuries were unintentional (95.5%), occurred on streets and happened during daytime.
Ambulance use was very limited: only 8.3% of injured people were transported by ambulance, while 67.7% received no pre-hospital medical care.
Traffic crashes were the leading cause of fatal injuries, accounting for 52% of deaths. Walking-related injuries, traffic crashes and falls dominated nonfatal cases.
Figure 1 on page 6 shows that nonfatal injuries increased as the gathering approached, peaking around 8 December before declining.
Adults aged 21–40 and those over 40 were more likely than younger people to sustain mass-gathering-related injuries. Street injuries were also strongly associated with the gathering.
Most nonfatal cases did not require hospitalization, suggesting that temporary medical facilities and first-aid capacity are important during large gatherings.
The study highlights the need for stronger injury surveillance, ambulance access, pre-hospital care and traffic management during mass gatherings.
