Choking, traffic accidents and drowning are the main causes of death in children under 14 years in United States. This has been confirmed by a report prepared by the Mapfre Foundation in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, which highlights the importance of prevention and research, as fundamental measures to reduce these fatal statistics.
The report, presented a few days ago at the International Childhood Injury Prevention Congress in Washington, is entitled "Child Injuries in the United States" and has been prepared with statistical data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since the year 2005 to 2017.
The three most frequent causes of infant death due to unintentional injuries
Based on statistics, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of infant death from the first year of life and up to 14 years, representing approximately one third of all deaths.
Among children under four, the asphyxiation constitutes the main unintentional cause of death, and more often it is related to the moment of sleep, such as sudden infant death syndrome, strangulation while sleeping and asphyxiation in bed.
According to the report, child deaths related to this issue have increased in recent years, especially among infants under one year of age, it is necessary to remember the preventive measures that we should take when sleeping our children.
In Babies and more Experts warn: there are still many babies who sleep on their stomachsDrowning is another major cause of death Among children under four years. Statistics have varied over the last few years, decreasing between 2013 and 2014 but increasing again in 2105 and 2016.
Now that we are in summer it is essential to remember the importance of not taking our eyes off our children while playing in the water or in the surroundings. In addition, the Spanish Association of Pediatrics insists that two centimeters of water are enough for a baby to drown.
In the case of older children, even if they know how to swim, we must always be with the attention directed to them at all times when they are in the water, avoiding situations that can distract the adult, such as talking on the phone.
In Babies and more Teenagers are the second age group with the highest rate of drowning: precautions for a safe summerAnd another one of the leading causes of unintentional death are traffic accidents. Although it is worth mentioning a hopeful fact, and its number has decreased slightly in recent years. Even so, there is still much to improve until no child ever loses his life on the road.
Other causes of childhood injuries that also worry
Burns, accidental poisoning and teenage suicides constitute three other common causes of death in children under 14 years.
In the case of burns and fire accidents There has been a downward trend among children under four years, although rates have increased in recent years among older children, being a really worrying fact. Prevention is the best measure to avoid accidents related to electricity or cooking, for example.
Regarding poisoning, the CDC data places children under one year of age as the most vulnerable group to suffer such accidents at home, although the age group between ten and 14 years has been showing an increase since 2013. Among the main causes of poisoning are medications prescribed to adults, which fall into the hands of children accidentally.
In Babies and more Hygiene and cosmetic products can also be dangerous for young children: tips to prevent accidentsAnd special mention deserves suicides in adolescence whose number increases substantially year after year. This terrible fact should make us reflect on the importance of caring for and protecting this group, not to turn their backs on their problems and always attend to their needs, from all levels of society.
Although the statistics recorded in the report refer to US data, the truth is that, unfortunately, the trend is very similar in our country or in other countries around us. That is why it is essential to continue informing about the necessary prevention measures to avoid this type of situations in the home and family.
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