More People Dead From U.S. HAIs in One Decade Than Total Toll of Americans Who Died in Battle in All Wars

Victoria Nahum, Safe Care Campaign
July 2009

According to the U.S. Veterans Administration's latest numbers (Nov. 2008), the total fatalities of all soldiers who ever died during battle is 651,030. This number includes all wars the U.S. has been involved in, beginning with the American Revolution.

As awful as it is, having lost our good men to the ravages of war, unbelievably, this terrible number is far less than the number of patient fatalities caused by health care and community acquired infections just in the last decade.

Reference: http://www1.va.gov/opa/fact/amwars.asp