Injuries Associated with Landmines and Unexploded Ordnances in Iran

Background: Although in the last few years there has been increasing awareness of the problem of landmines, there are still an increasing number of people especially children, illed and injured by landmine every week in the world including Iran which is estimated to have the second rank for landmine injuries. Eighteen years after cessation of Iraq-Iran war, the provinces located near the west border of Iran still suffer from the burden of vast areas highly infested with Landmines. This study aims to gather more information on the particulars of mine associated incidents and victims. Methods: This is a retrospective study of people with documented deaths or injuries due to landmine and/or unexploded ordnances (UXO) explosions, as documented in their medical files between Jul 1988 (after ceasefire) and Feb 2003. Results: 3713 patients from 3 main organizations in charge of providing health care services for them were included in this study. Of these, 3461 (93.2) were male, and 252 (6.8%) were female. Most of the victims were civilians and the majority of them (40.4%) had one or more amputations. Most of the patients were injured in the period between1994 and 1998. The majority of them were young, and 41.8% were children. Conclusion: The occurrence of death and injuries due to landmine in Iran is regrettably high; this places a significant burden on the health care system, rendering increased commitment of the government a must. Collecting data on accident particulars and landmine victims can provide meaningful information on the risk factors.