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Nearly 9.2 million children between birth and age 19
are seen each year in emergency departments for injuries. Injuries are the
leading cause of death in children ages 19 and younger. You can play a life-saving role in
protecting children from injuries.
Everyone wants to protect the children they care about from harm and keep them safe. Yet injuries are the leading cause of death in children ages 19 and younger. CDC's Injury Center is pleased to announce new resources to help prevent child injuries in the United States.
On December 10, 2008, CDC's Injury Center released the CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006.
This data report provides an overview of child injuries related to drowning, falls, fires or burns, transportation-related injuries, poisoning, and suffocation, among other causes. Data is broken down by age group and sex, and injury death rates by state are provided.
Key findings in the report include:
"Protect the Ones You Love: Child Injuries Are Preventable" is a new initiative to raise parents' awareness about the leading causes of child injury and how they can be prevented.
As part of the initiative, CDC's Injury Center offers resources to help parents keep their children safe from injuries, including fact sheets, podcasts, e-cards, and media outreach and event planning guides. All materials are available free of charge at www.cdc.gov/safechild.
Prevention tips include the following:
Burns
Fire and scalding water can pose threats to children.
To help keep kids safer from burns caused by fire, install and maintain smoke
alarms in your home.
Drownings
Drownings can happen quickly and quietly, but
installing four-sided fences, with self-closing and self-latching gates, around
backyard swimming pools can make a life-saving difference by keeping kids away
from water when you're not there to supervise.
Falls
Falls can happen at the playground or at home. To
protect your child, check playground equipment to make sure it's properly
designed and maintained and that there's a safe, soft landing surface below.
Poisonings
Everyday household products can be poisonous to
children, but you can safeguard your home. Keep medicines and toxic products,
such as cleaning solutions, in locked or childproof cabinets.
Road Traffic Injuries
To make injuries less likely when you're on the road,
always use seat belts, child safety seats, and booster seats that are
appropriate for your child's age and weight.
More Information
CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006 , CDC: Protect the Ones You Love Web Page.
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