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Pediatric Casualties in Terrorist Attacks: A Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Global Events

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2022

Lea Ohana Sarna Cahan Open the ORCID record for Lea Ohana Sarna Cahan [Opens in a new window] ,
Derrick Tin ,
Vesna Markovic ,
Robert G. Ciottone ,
Fadi Issa ,
Ashley E. D. Kane ,
Alexander Hart ,
Debra L. Weiner  and
Gregory R. Ciottone
Lea Ohana Sarna Cahan
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA Department of Pediatrics Emergency Medicine, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
Derrick Tin
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Vesna Markovic
Affiliation:
Professor, Justice, Law and Public Safety Studies, Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois USA
Robert G. Ciottone
Affiliation:
Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Fadi Issa
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Ashley E. D. Kane
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Alexander Hart
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Debra L. Weiner
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Gregory R. Ciottone
Affiliation:
BIDMC Disaster Medicine Fellowship, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA
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Abstract

Background:

Terrorism remains a major threat and concern in many countries around the world. Pediatric populations represent approximately 30% of the world population, and in the event of a terrorist attack, can either be primary targets, to include the possibility of abduction, or unintended victims. They are unique in their vulnerabilities and, therefore, require special consideration.

Methods:

This study is a semi-quantitative, epidemiological analysis of all terrorism-related pediatric fatalities and injuries sustained from 1970-2019. Data collection was performed using a retrospective database search through the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Summaries of events including search terms associated with pediatric population were individually reviewed and those describing the deaths, injuries, or abductions were tallied.

Results:

Of the over 200,000 terror events, 2,302 events met inclusion criteria. This represented 1.14% of total events which involved death, injury, or abduction. Of 2,032 events, a total of 2,275 pediatric fatal injuries (FI) were recorded, as well as 2,280 pediatric non-fatal injuries (NFI). The most common weapons used in all attacks involving the pediatric population were explosives (1,539 [66.8%]), firearms (543 [23.5%]), other (169 [7.3%]), and melee (83 [3.6%]). A total of 275 of the 2,032 events were related to abductions, with 71 cases involving the abduction of 10 individuals or more.

Conclusion:

Pediatric casualties in terrorist events represent a small proportion of overall victims. However, it should be understood that the pediatric population has unique vulnerabilities, and when directly impacted by terrorism, can have long-term physical and psychosocial sequelae, as well as a devastating emotional impact on the community.

Keywords

CTM: Counter-Terrorism MedicineGTD: Global Terrorism Databasepediatrics
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , February 2023 , pp. 11 - 16
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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