Strong link between deprivation and child deaths says Public Health Wales report
This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 9th, 2014
The death rate among children living in the most deprived fifth of Wales is 70 per cent higher than among children in the least deprived fifth of Wales.
A Public Health Wales report published today (9 September) has identified that there is a strong association between deprivation and the risk of child death.
The death rate among children living in the most deprived fifth of Wales is 70 per cent higher than among children in the least deprived fifth of Wales.
The second annual report of the Child Death Review Programme describes patterns of child deaths in Wales and the activities of the programme over the last year.
Dr Ciaran Humphreys, consultant in Public Health and Health Intelligence said:
“The death of a child is always a tragedy and in some cases there is nothing could have been done to prevent it. But it’s worrying that there is a clear connection between poverty and child death and this is an area that could clearly be tackled.”
The annual report also finds that external causes of death, including accidents, suicide and assault, account for over half of deaths among those aged 12-17 and around one in five deaths of children between the ages of one and 11.
Alongside the annual report, a review on child deaths due to dog bites and strikes will also be published, it found that although the tragic deaths of children from dog bites andstrikes are rare, around 114 children per year get admitted to hospital following a dog bite or strike.
In young children these injuries are often to the face or head with risk of disfigurement.
Dr Humphreys said:
“Dogs are popular pets and have a valuable role to play in many families. But we would advise people to never leave a baby or young child unsupervised with a dog, even for a moment, no matter how well you know that dog.”
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