New Publication Emphasizes the Importance of Childhood Injury Prevention in Reaching Millennium Development Goals

Dr. Adnan Hyder, director of the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, and Jeffrey Lunnen, an intern with the Unit who focuses on women's studies and child injuries, recently released a paper that discusses how an increased focus on injury prevention can reduce child mortality around the world.

Approximately 830,000 children die every year as a result of injuries like road traffic injuries, poisoning, falls, burns and drowning. Globally, injuries are the leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 19. The paper, entitled, “Reduction of childhood mortality through millennium development goal 4,” points out that, among 67 countries with high child mortality, only 10 are on track to meet the millennium development goal related to reducing these deaths.

Dr. Hyder and Lunnen maintain that, given what we know about the problem, the lack of attention to childhood injuries is surprising. Injury prevention and control interventions are not only effective, but also cost-effective. For more information and to read the full text, please visit the British Medical Journal (BMJ). If you have any questions about the work of the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, please contact us.