Reports of spinal cord injury should be forwarded to CDC on a regular basis through an adaptation of the Electronic Surveillance Project. CSTE requests that CDC develop a case definition for spinal cord injury and provide financial assistance for the development of injury surveillance systems. Other injuries which should receive high priority for future surveillance activities include head injuries, burns, falls, immersion injuries and gunshot wounds. Injuries are responsible for more morbidity and mortality in the 1 to 44 year age group than all communicable and other conditions combined. The reporting of spinal injuries is an important first step in the establishment of an injury surveillance system.
Spinal injuries are important, costly, and amenable to prevention and intervention.
These injuries have a particularly severe impact on the public s health because of the costs associated with treatment, the age of the most victims, and the permanent disability they inflict. The establishment of an epidemiologic surveillance system for spinal cord injury will lead to a better understanding of the nature of these injuries and of preventive interventions that may reduce their impact. Such a system will be the foundation for surveillance of other important injuries such as head injuries, burns, falls, immersion injuries, and gunshot wounds.