Burn-related Injuries among Arbaeen Participants in Karbala City, 2024

Abstract

Background: Burns are a global public health problem. They occur during the mass gatherings, resulting in injuries with some unique challenges. The annual Arbaeen is the world's second-largest public gathering, celebrated in Iraq, attracting more than 20 million pilgrims. This study aims to evaluate the role of the Arbaeen pilgrimage on burned patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Imam AI-Hussain Medical City Hospital in 2024. The records of burned patients who were admitted to the Emergency Department during Arbaeen were included. Data was also collected for another group of burned patients, which parallels the timeframe of Arbaeen, to compare the two groups.

Results: Sixty-seven burn injuries were included in the Arbaeen study group, and ninety-seven patients in the out-of-Arbaeen group. The Arbaeen pilgrimage records fewer burn injuries than usual times, with an incidence of 0.31% against 0.75% (p = 0.019). The majority of Arbaeen participants (43.3%) were between the ages of 18 and 38 years. Among out Arbaeen participants, those less than 18 years old comprise the larger group. This study revealed that 52.2% of Arbaeen patients received conservative treatment and were discharged from the Emergency Department, while 17.9% were admitted to a burn unit. The mortality rate was 7.5% during Arbaeen and 4.1% out of Arbaeen, respectively.

Conclusions: Children and young people are most vulnerable to burns during the Arbaeen pilgrimage period. The incidence of burn injuries is not significantly correlated with the Arbaeen pilgrimage.