Attention Drawn to Unintentional Injuries as Day of African Child is Marked
They found that unintentional injuries have become one of the biggest reasons children die in hospital after malaria and nutrition-related diseases. They noted that the highest mortality to unintentional injuries occur in a home environment as children tend to mimic their older siblings and adults.
They found that unintentional injuries have become one of the biggest reasons children die in hospital after malaria and nutrition-related diseases. They noted that the highest mortality to unintentional injuries occur in a home environment as children tend to mimic their older siblings and adults.
Charles Semugabo, a Research Associate based at the School says that in their latest study conducted in Jinja City, they found falls to be the leading cause of injury at 56 per cent, followed by cuts at 27 per cent and burns at 23 per cent. This was during a press conference to mark the International Day of the African Child on Wednesday.
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He attributes the injuries to the kind of environment where children are raised with many households lacking play areas for children, yet others have no safe places for cooking.
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Dr Olive Kobusingye, an Accident and Emergency Surgeon told URN that the burden is high and yet efforts to prevent them are still low. She says these injuries are responsible for about 4 per cent of deaths of children under five years of age.
While many unintentional injuries are not severe, Kobusingye says they result in loss of productivity hours for parents and at times a disability that affects child esteem later in life. She says most children injuries arise from the fact that homes are built for adults and children just survive in an environment that is not theirs.
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Kobusingye said that while many attributed children’s injuries to lack of supervision, for her rather than focusing on who is supposed to safeguard the child, the focus should be put on guaranteeing a safe environment for children by changing what happens in the environment.
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In the second phase of the study, the researchers are now exploring cheap but safe interventions in a home that can protect children from being injured. Semugabo says among the options that they are assessing for acceptability is the use of solar power and creating barriers around cook areas.
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