Childhood Injury Prevention Week: September 1-7
Thursday, September 06, 2007
JC Jones MA RN
Let's all work together to keep our children safe! The As Safe As Possible Campaign wants us all to know:
- 20.6 million kids are injured each year
- that's 56, 000 kids a day!
- 22, 000 children die each year due to injuries
- 60, 000 are permanently disabled
- 90% of these injuries to young children occur at home!
- 10,600,000 doctor's visits each year are for young children's injuries
- 8,700,000 ED visits are for young children's injuries
- Cost to the US health system each year? $347 Billion!
- Poisonings: Lock all items out of your child's reach. Use child resistant containers
- Drownings: Never leave children unattended near pools, toilets, bathtubs, showers, hot tubs, animal troughs, outside pails, diaper pails
- Fires and Burns: Keep children away from stoves and fireplaces. Lock up lighters and matches. Keep smoke detectors and fire extinguishers functioning. Check water temperature for baths
- Choking: Keep the house free of small objects which are a choking threat (including pennies)
- Falls: Secure windows, doors. Remove tripping hazards and keep paths well lit. Bathroom surfaces should be non-slip
- Electrical: Cover outlets and keep plugs locked. Secure cords to prevent tripping.
- Suffocation/Strangulation: Keep all plastic wraps and garbage bags out of reach. Keep wires, cords and strings out of reach.
Labels: childhood, injury, prevention
