19 February 2009: The findings of the joint WHO/UNICEF Report on Child Injury Prevention have been made public
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© UNICEF/2009 |
Moscow, 19 February 2009. Every day around the world, 2270 children, or 830,000 children annually, lose their lives due to injuries. Every year, tens of millions more worldwide are taken to hospitals with injuries that often leave them with lifelong disabilities, according to a new report by WHO and UNICEF. The report is being presented today at the All-Russian Congress of Pediatricians.
Injury-related child mortality rates in Russia – over 13,000 children annually or 35 children every day - are the highest in Europe. According to WHO and UNICEF, 5 out of 6 deaths could be averted or 11,000 children’s lives could be saved every year.
The World Report on Child Injury Prevention provides the first ever comprehensive global assessment of unintentional childhood injuries and prescribes measures to prevent them. 180 experts from all over the world were involved in the research. The report has revealed that unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among 9 year olds and above, with 95% of these cases occurring in low-income and middle-income countries.
According to the research, the leading causes of injuries among children are the following:
- Road traffic injuries. Every year, over 260,000 children die around the world as a result of road traffic crashes, and it is estimated that up to 10 million more are non-fatally injured. Road traffic injuries are the prevailing cause of death among 10-19 year olds both worldwide and in Russia and the most frequent cause of child disability. 4,400 children are killed in road traffic accidents in Russia every year.
- Drowning. Drowning results in over 175,000 child deaths each year. About 3 million children worldwide (1,600 children in Russia) experience a non-fatal drowning event every year.
- Burns. Nearly 96,000 children under the age of 20 are fatally injured as a result of fire-related burns every year. The risk of fire-related injuries is 11 times higher in low-income and middle-income countries than in developed countries. (According to WHO estimates, around 600 child lives are lost annually in Russia due to burns).
- Falls. Globally, nearly 47,000 children under the age of 20 die as a result of a severe fall every year, while hundreds of thousands of children are non-fatally injured. (According to WHO estimates, around 600 child lives are lost annually in Russia due to falls).
- Poisoning. Accidental poisoning results in over 45,000 child deaths annually (in Russia about 1,000 children die of accidental poisoning every year).
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© UNICEF/2009/Negreeva |
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Bertrand Bainvel from UNICEF and Dinesh Sethi from WHO preset Russian edition of 'Have fun, be safe' book for children |
Although child injury prevention strategies in developed countries have become increasingly effective in recent years, child deaths due to accidental injuries still account for about 40% of all child deaths.
Not only adults, but children themselves should take efforts to lower the risk of injuries. To inform children about various types of injuries and how these may be prevented, UNICEF has produced a child-friendly version of the report entitled “Have Fun, Be Safe”. Using a mixture of bright pictures, puzzles, games and other child-friendly visual materials, this book, designed for children aged 8-14, teaches them how to observe safety precautions in various situations and administer first aid.
The joint WHO/UNICEF World Report offers a number of recommendations to address child injury, including the following:
1. Integrate child injury into a comprehensive approach to child health and development.
2. Develop and implement a child injury prevention policy and a plan of action.
3. Implement specific actions to prevent and control child injuries.
4. Strengthen health systems to address child injuries.
5. Enhance the quality and quantity of data for child injury prevention.
6. Define priorities for research and support research on the causes, consequences, costs and prevention of child injuries.
7. Raise awareness of and target investments towards child injury prevention.
For more information about the recommendations, the report findings and supplementary materials please see WHO website.
For additional information please contact:
Anna Kochineva, Communication Officer, UNICEF
Tel.: + 7 495 937-4812, Моб. +7 916-238-0154
E-mail: akochineva@unicef.org, Web: www.unicef.ru
