Bizarre Brazil

Now the Pope is gone, back to business. Every time a foreigner friend say me how violent is the US and blahblahblah I tell he or she about the incredible number of deaths every day in Brazilian slums, trench towns and downtowns. There are weekends in some cities (especially Rio de Janeiro, but also Sao Paulo and other minor metropolitan areas) where body counts can be as large as three, four, five Virginia Techs. I’m obviously not proud of this numbers, as you can imagine, but I won’t start a personal crusade either.

Well, enough said. And some numbers from World Health Organization Statistical Information System to compare the 2002 body count. This numbers are sent to WHO by the governments, so it’s all official figures.

In 2002 in Brazil the leading causes of death for men in all ages groups were:

• 40812 deaths from: Unattended death (R98)*
• 35886 deaths from: Acute myocardial infarction - Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (I219)
• 22360 deaths from: Stroke, not specified as hemorrhage or infarction (I64)
• 14708 deaths from: Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge - Assault by other and unspecified firearm discharge, unspecified place (X959)

In 2002 in United States of America the leading causes of death for men in all ages groups were:

• 106814 deaths from: Chronic ischaemic heart disease - Atherosclerotic heart disease (I251)
• 93643 deaths from: Acute myocardial infarction - Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (I219)
• 89577 deaths from: Malignant neoplasm of bronchus and lung - Bronchus or lung, unspecified (C349)
• 48472 deaths from: Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, unspecified (J449)

*(what this number don’t tell is that many of this deaths were caused by firearms shot or other violent means)

You can see more numbers and information about your own country here.