With childhood-related injuries increasing, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has invited experts to study epidemology on injuries related to children and to lay down interventions to reduce child-related injuries in India.
According to the IC MR road traffic injury, drowning, burns, falls and poisoning, make up 60% of all child injury deaths. Significantly, smothering, asphyxiation, choking, animal or snakebites, hypothermia and hyperthermia account for 23% of childhood deaths. About 950 000 deaths in children and young people under the age of 18 years each year are attributable to injury and violence are a growing global public health problem.
The rate of death due to child injury is 3.4 times higher in low-income and middle-income countries than in the high-income countries. “Child injury and violence prevention programmes need to be integrated into child survival strategies focused on improving lives of children,” says the IC MR document. Over the years, urbanisation, rapid increase in vehicular traffic on roads is a risk factor for street/ homeless children, climate changes environmental hazards such as cyclones, landslides, droughts, floods cause displacement and migration of populations, has increased the risks and vulnerability of children to injuries. Experts feel that in India child labour is still in practice and is likely to lead to greater number of injuries. “Interventions such as child car seats, cycling helmets etc demonstrating success.”