Many N.Z. Children Under 5 Die From Accidental Causes

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 12, 15 July 1949, Page 3

Many N.Z. Children Under 5 Die From Accidental Causes

In New Zealand in 1947, ninety children under five died from accidental causes. This figure, of course, tells nothing of the many who every year suffer accidental injuries and recover, at least in some measure, states the latest issue of Health. It tells nothing of the heartbreaks suffered on account of separation from parents, and the injury to the nervous system which is the result of this loss of security as well as of the fright occasioned by the accident and by the strange atmosphere of hospital, where treatments, if not painful, can be alarming because unfamiliar.

Suffocation Causes Many Deaths

In a list of ninety cases the chief cause of death was suffocation. One form of suffocation is smothering, which can be prevented if babies have their own beds, the right kind of beds, and are tucked down properly. A second type is choking, caused by swallowing objects which may block the air . passages, or cause the air supply to be cut off by vomit which is inhaled. v Care is needed when letting little children play with things small enough to be swallowed, such as marbles, beads, buttons, pennies, pins, peas or beans. Drowning comes next on the list. Every care should be taken to prevent access to streams, ponds, wells, troughs and any other water hazards. Little children love to play in water, and so they should, but when they do, they should be watched. Motor vehicles rank next among destroyers of young lives, poihting again to the need for precautions to keep the little ones off the roads and to see that they are never behind vehicles.

Form Safe Habits Burns, falls and poisoning come further down the list, but they rank high among the causes of admissions to hospital wards. Many could be prevented by taking safe precautions.

To prevent accidents all that is needed is a little care. It is easy to form habits which put danger out of reach. Parents cannot afford to be careless.