In 2011, approximately 630,00 children under 15 died from unintentional injuries. Injuries are the leading cause of childhood deaths in children over 9 years old. Ninety-five percent of these childhood injuries occur in lower- and middle-income countries.
The 2008 World Report on Child Injury Prevention listed the following as the top five causes of pediatric injury deaths globally:
1) Road Crashes- approximately 260,000/year
2) Drowning- approximately 175,0000/year
3) Burns- approximately 96,000/year
4) Falls- approximately 47,000/year
5) Poisoning (unintentional)- approximately 45,000/year
Many of these deaths occur around the home and could be prevented through proven prevention measures, which include:
· Child appropriate seatbelts and helmets
· Separate children from vehicular traffic
· Limit hot tap water temperature
· Placing medications and potentially harmful household products in child proof containers
· Draining unnecessary water from baths and buckets
· Redesigning nursery furniture, toys and playground equipment
