KARACHI, April 5: Every year the World Health Day is observed on April 7 with messages about a particular disease or group of diseases. This year, however, the day will be observed with an emphasis on ways and means in which the number of traffic accidents may be reduced.

This time round the theme will be "Road Safety is no Accident". In the events to be organized to commemorate the day, information about the average number of fatalities every year will be disseminated.

In 2002, some 1.18 million people lost their lives in traffic accidents while 20 to 50 million were injured. A disproportionate number of those who were either killed or injured belonged to the developing countries.

The WHO and World Bank will be unveiling a special report on the issue. And the WHO, in collaboration with its partners, will be opening a one-year road safety campaign aimed at promoting action to prevent road injuries.

On Aug 17, 1896, a 44-year-old mother of two - Bridget Driscoll - became the first woman to die in a road accident. She, with her teenaged daughter, was on way to see a performance in London when a car hit her.

At the inquest, the coroner had remarked: "This must never happen again". However, what happened to Ms Driscoll has already happened to tens of millions of people around the world. And vehicle crashes are frequent today. So are the fatalities.

The WHO Country Office, headed by the WHO Representative to Pakistan, Dr Khalif Bile Mohammad, has carried out a rapid analysis of the problem in a local context, adds APP.

And in a message the WHO Regional Director, Dr Hussein A, Gezairy, has drawn attention to the fact that while road accidents are the second leading cause of death among the children and people of the working age, injuries and disabilities resulting from them have enormous economic and social consequences for the persons concerned, their families and communities at large.

At the national level, road accidents are estimated to cost governments one to two per cent of their GNP annually. According to Dr Gezairy, the World Health Day is not merely a celebration but a commitment towards a cause and a promise for a better future.

Raising the level of awareness of all those involved is a prerequisite to road traffic injury prevention. He stressed that this particular theme had been chosen in order to generate maximum interest amongst all stakeholders, communities and organizations in developing the required strategies needed to combat the menace.

WHO Representative to Pakistan Dr Khalif Bile Mohammad will spend a busy day in Karachi on the World Health Day, owing to the large magnitude of the problem in the mega-city. He will facilitate an inter-sectoral meeting of experts at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan, convened by the leading neuro-surgeon, Prof Rashid Jooma.

Later, he will deliver a keynote address at the 13th International Children's Health Conference, organized by the Hamdard Public School. According to the WHO Operations Officer for Sindh, Dr Ghulam Nabi Kazi, the theme highlights an important public health issue of road safety and the means to mitigate the consequences of the large number of traffic accidents taking place in the country through political commitment aimed at making concerted efforts in the health and other sectors.

He said the need of the hour is to include road safety in health promotion efforts, support research to analyse the risk factors associated with road accidents, develop policies and practices that protect vehicle occupants and road-users, besides strengthening hospital and pre-hospital care for all trauma victims.

It was necessary to bring about better integration of health and safety concerns into transport policies and facilities, he said. "We need to invest in medical research to improve the care of trauma survivors and advocate for greater attention to road safety in view of the health impact and costs," Dr Kazi said.