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Child Safety Month 2008 -
August 2008. more
Ten Key facts about Child Injury (PDF) Click here
First United Nations Global Road Safety Week 23 – 29 April 2007 (PDF) Click here
Choosing a swimming teacher - a guide for parents Click Here
First Aid for Burns: What to do. Graphically presented.
Click here (PDF)
Watch That Child! -
Child safety is no accident. more
Safety Tips (English) - Points to note around the house - graphically presented. click here
Safety Chart (English) - Savlons Family Safety Chart - graphically presented. click here
Children Injury Statistics
Safety: Crisis Center | Products | Injury Statistics
Every day more than 10 children die in South Africa due to injuries and many more are permanently disabled as a result of accidental injury.
CAPFSA updates and analyses available statistics on childhood injuries. Research projects / data completed are:
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Injuries presenting at the Red Cross Children's Hospital (on site)
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Analysis of drowning in South African children (SA Lifesaving)
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Road traffic injuries and deaths in South Africa (on site) (Central statistical services)
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Burn Injuries presenting at Red Cross Children's Hospital
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Playground injuries presenting at Red Cross Children's Hospital
| Falls were the leading cause of injuries in children under the age of 14 presenting to Red Cross Children's Hospital in 1997/98. A more detailed table of the causes of injury may be found here: |  |
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| Eighteen percent of children were injured in traffic collisions, predominantly as pedestrians. |  |
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| The most common types of burns are due to hot liquids or fluids such as boiling water, tea, coffee etc. More than 60 children are admitted annually with fire/flame related burns. The majority of these children come from underprivileged communities who use fossil fuels for heating. |  |
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| Nearly half of the assaults are the result of blunt force. Sexual assault or rape accounts for a disturbing 16% of all assault cases seen in the hospital. Few children are assaulted with a firearm. Those that are shot are usually innocent bystanders, caught in crossfire or accidentally shot by themselves or another party. |  |
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| The majority of falls were on a level, probably while the child was running. However, many children fell from heights and a disturbing number were injured on playground equipment. |  |
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|
CAUSE |
<1 |
1-4 |
5-9 |
10+ |
TOTAL |
|
Pedestrian |
8 |
156 |
418 |
143 |
725 |
|
Unrestrained Passenger |
1 |
7 |
14 |
9 |
31 |
|
Restrained Passenger |
8 |
40 |
35 |
33 |
116 |
|
Passenger on bakkie |
4 |
12 |
57 |
28 |
101 |
|
Cyclist |
0 |
26 |
72 |
63 |
161 |
|
Motorcyclist |
0 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
|
Other MVA |
0 |
3 |
8 |
19 |
30 |
|
ALL TRAFFIC |
21 |
244 |
608 |
295 |
1171 |
|
Blunt assault |
14 |
18 |
42 |
31 |
105 |
|
Sharp assault |
4 |
6 |
12 |
18 |
40 |
|
Rape/Sexual assault |
1 |
8 |
17 |
9 |
35 |
|
Human bite |
0 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
|
Other assault |
3 |
5 |
15 |
10 |
33 |
|
ALL ASSAULTS |
22 |
40 |
88 |
68 |
218 |
|
Flame burn |
5 |
15 |
21 |
21 |
62 |
|
Fluid burn |
83 |
189 |
62 |
19 |
353 |
|
Heat contact burn |
7 |
16 |
2 |
0 |
25 |
|
Electrical burn |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
Chemical burn |
3 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
11 |
|
Explosion burn |
1 |
2 |
7 |
1 |
11 |
|
Other burn |
2 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
13 |
|
ALL BURNS |
104 |
236 |
98 |
43 |
481 |
|
Fall off bed |
101 |
117 |
54 |
11 |
283 |
|
Fall down stairs |
11 |
61 |
37 |
17 |
126 |
|
Fall out attendants arms |
47 |
36 |
7 |
3 |
93 |
|
Fall from playground equipment |
1 |
39 |
158 |
46 |
244 |
|
Fall from mobile |
24 |
16 |
24 |
25 |
89 |
|
Fall from a height |
37 |
161 |
262 |
128 |
588 |
|
Fall on the level |
49 |
336 |
477 |
227 |
1089 |
|
ALL FALLS |
270 |
766 |
1019 |
457 |
2512 |
|
Struck by/against |
31 |
165 |
226 |
180 |
602 |
|
Caught between |
8 |
106 |
89 |
28 |
231 |
|
Sharp instrument |
10 |
61 |
131 |
72 |
274 |
|
Firearm |
4 |
7 |
19 |
12 |
42 |
|
Machinery |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
|
Dog bite |
3 |
21 |
45 |
29 |
98 |
|
Other bite |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
|
Immersion/drowning |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Food foreign body |
2 |
16 |
13 |
0 |
31 |
|
Other foreign body |
18 |
123 |
106 |
23 |
270 |
|
ALL OTHER ACCIDENTS |
77 |
503 |
631 |
348 |
|
|
Other causes |
42 |
151 |
63 |
61 |
317 |
|
Unknown |
47 |
78 |
34 |
14 |
173 |
|
TOTAL |
583 |
2018 |
2541 |
1289 |
6431 |
