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A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident, injury, or Trauma . The word ''casualties'' is most often used by the media to describe deaths and injuries resulting from War s or Disaster s. Among the general public, ''casualties'' is sometimes misunderstood to be the same thing as ''fatalities'' (deaths), but non-fatal injuries are also casualties. In Military usage, ''casualties'' usually has a more specific meaning, and refers to all persons lost to active military service, which includes those Killed In Action , killed by disease, disabled by physical or mental injuries, Captured , Deserted , and Missing . Less serious wounds that do not prevent a person from fighting are usually not counted as casualties. The sum of casualties is known as the ''casualty count''. Before World War II , deaths by disease usually outnumbered deaths in combat. Historically, 20-30% of those hit in combat died while the rest survived, a ratio of wounded to killed of about 3-1. Due to modern medicine and armor the ratio has increased to around 8 to 1. REFERENCES
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