Economic and social burden due to injuries and violence in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND Injury and violence cause five million deaths annually in the world which is around 9% of the global mortality. Eight out of fifteen leading causes of deaths in the age group 15-25 years are injury related. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, severity and socio-economic burden of injuries and violence in two cities of Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS Relevant data was collected from 17th August 2008 to 16th September 2008 from injured patients attending emergency departments at six health centres in two cities. RESULTS In total, 505 injury cases were reported. 42.5% of the injuries occurred in roads and 34.1% at home. 65% of road traffic injuries involved motorcycles. The majority (60%) of the injured subjects were economically active. A single injury case cost 126.2 US$ including all the expenses and the loss due to inability to work. CONCLUSION The high incidence of injuries, especially road traffic injuries, adds a huge economic burden to nation.