Vietnamese government officials and representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations are gathering in Hanoi Thursday and Friday to present practical and cost-effective guidance for axing injury rates and injury-related fatalities.

"In Vietnam, unintentional injury deaths are the third most common cause of deaths, after cardio-vascular diseases and infectious diseases.. Regarding traffic accidents, we should use a two-pronged approach. First, promote safe behavior or helmet use. Second, ensure strict enforcement of related regulations," Hans Troedsson, Representative of WHO Vietnam, said at a two-day workshop held by the United Nations health agency and the Vietnamese Health Ministry.

At the workshop with the participation of over 100 local and foreign officials and experts, Trinh Quan Huan, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health, said his country will conduct an action program for injury prevention in the 2007-2010 period, which involves enhancing public awareness, establishing a nationwide injury surveillance system, improving first-aid systems and trauma care and functional rehabilitation, enhancing the injury prevention capacity for health staff, and implementing safety community models throughout the country.

"With the high government commitment and action of communities and individuals, we can drastically reduce thousands of deaths and serious injuries in the coming years, Huan said.

Nearly 12,000 people died in traffic accidents in Vietnam each year in the last five years, he said, adding that the annual economic loss from the accidents is estimated at 30 trillion Vietnamese dong (nearly 1.9 billion U.S. dollars).

At the workshop, the WHO launched three of its publications in Vietnamese, namely "Developing policies to prevent injuries and violence: Guidelines for policy makers and planners," "Child and adolescent injury prevention: A WHO plan of action 2006-2015," and "Helmets - A road safety manual for decision makers and practitioners."

"Each year, more than 5 million people (in the world) die as a result of injury. Injury death rates are significantly high in low- and middle- income countries, which already account for more than 90 percent of the world's deaths from injuries and violence," said the manual on injury and violence prevention.

Source: Xinhua