8 November 2009
Road traffic crashes, burns, drowning,
poisoning and falls lead to the death of hundreds
of thousands of children
Launch of the Arabic version of
the World Report on Child Injury Prevention
Cairo, 8 November 2009
In a valuable addition to the global health library covering child rights, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean today launches the Arabic version of the World Report on Child Injury Prevention, prepared jointly by WHO and UNICEF.
The report presents comprehensive coverage of all currently available knowledge about the different types of unintentional injuries, such as those resulting from road traffic crashes, drowning, burns, falls and poisoning. More important, it describes how to prevent such injuries. The report supplements the study of the United Nations Secretary-General on violence and intentional injuries against children, issued at the end of 2006. Across the world, 950 000 children under 18 years old die of injuries, 90% of which are unintentional and avoidable. This is in addition to tens of millions of non-fatal injuries that lead to disabilities. Clearly, child injuries represent a major public health problem.
Injuries, as defined by the report, include physical damage done when the human body is exposed to energy beyond its physiological capacity, or resulting from the absence of one or more vital elements such as oxygen. 95% of these injuries occur in low-income and middle-income countries, yet they also account for 40% of child deaths in high-income countries.
The report highlights that injuries resulting from road crashes lead to the death of 260 000 children annually worldwide. Such crashes also expose 10 million children to non-fatal injuries. Among the factors listed by the report that put children at increased risk for traffic-related injuries are their small stature, immature cognitive development, risk-taking behaviour, vulnerability to peer pressure to commit traffic violations, and economic factors and vehicle design.
The report describes proven and effective strategies for preventing child injuries, such as wearing bicycles helmets, compulsory speed reduction around schools and playgrounds, using appropriate child restraints and seat belts and applying graduated driver licensing systems.
Causes of drowning highlighted in the report include lack of safety devices in transportation or recreational boats, unsafe means of transportation, abuse of substances while participating in water sports, floods and hurricanes and lack of opportunities for developing swimming skills.
Recommended procedures to prevent drowning include eliminating sources of water-related danger (such as covering wells and sinks), installing fences around swimming pools, wearing personal floatation devices and ensuring the presence of lifeguards at public swimming areas.
With regard to burns, the report notes that most fatal burns rsult from fire, hot liquids or touching hot surfaces such as iron or electricity. Burns also results from storing flammable substances and lack of supervision on children. Preventive measures to reduce the risk of burns include drafting laws that make smoke detectors mandatory, separating cooking areas from living areas, using childproof lighters, banning the manufacture and sale of fireworks and promoting the use of safe lamps and stores.
Falling is a normal part of the way a child develops. However, an estimated 47 000 young people under 20 years die annually from severe falls worldwide. The report enumerates ways to reduce the risk of injuries from falls, including redesigning nursery furniture, enforcing regulations for window guards and using balcony and stairs rails.
Poisoning is the fifth leading cause of child deaths resulting from unintentional injuries. The main sources of child poisoning are medicines, kerosene, bleaching substances, detergents, insecticides, poisonous plants and animal or insect bites. They lead to the death of about 45 000 young people annually. Among the proven strategies to prevent poisoning described in the report are packing medicines in small un-lethal quantities, using child resistant packaging and storing potentially toxic chemicals beyond the reach of children.
The Arabic version of the report will be launched at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo and will be inaugurated by Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean and Dr Erma Manncort, UNICEF Representative in Egypt, on Sunday 8 November 2009.
