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News/Event Item
Lancet Study Estimates 655,000 Iraqi Deaths Since 2003
Oct. 11, 2006
The Lancet
The Lancet issued an updated report today on casualties in Iraq since the 2003 coalition forces invasion. The report estimates that about 655 000 Iraqis have died above the number that would be expected in a non-conflict situation. This figure is equivalent to about 2·5% of the population in the study area. According to the report, about 601 000 of these excess deaths were due to violent causes.
The Lancet estimate of excess deaths is far higher than those reported in Iraq through passive surveillance measures. Forty-seven sites throughout the country were selected, each containing between 1849 households and 12,801 household members. Each household was asked about births, deaths, in-migration and out-migration between May and June 2006. When a death had occurred in a household death certificates were produced 92% of the times. The researchers did not ask household members whether the dead household members were civilians or combatants.
Violent death totals have risen each year since the invasion, according to the study and, of the extra 654,965 deaths, 610,000 died violently. Fifty-six percent of violent deaths were due to gunshots Even though the proportion of deaths attributable to coalition forces fell this year, on every single year total numbers since the invasion have gone up.
© Copyright 2006 The Lancet
For the full report, visit:
http://www.thelancet.com/webfiles/images/journals/lancet/s0140673606694919.pdf
category: News from Other Sources : Announcements
contributed by Christopher Gibbs on 11 October 2006
Mid East :
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