Half of child deaths caused by crashes - report

Almost half of all child injury deaths are caused by road traffic

accidents a report published today has claimed.

According to the second annual report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Department Of Health and Children, Dr Jim Kiely 79 under 18-year-olds died in road accidents in 1999 reflecting an upward trend since 1994.

In his report, Dr Kiely said the number of people killed and injured on the roads is a real cause for concern especially as many such accidents are preventable. Strict enforcement of existing legislation is required to successfully implement the Government’s Road Safety Strategy.

The Chief Medical Officer said poverty is the most powerful socio- economic factor associated with ill health in children and added that 17 per cent of Irish children experience chronic poverty, a figure higher than most EU countries.

Poverty led to added risks of infection and malnutrition while poor housing and social exclusion threatened children’s health.

Irish 16-year-olds are ranked fourth in an alcohol-consumption table compared to their EU peers while more than one third are currently smokers.

However, Dr Kiely did report that Irish children compare favourably with regard to exercise, although it is more prevalent among boys.

He also stressed that additional vaccination measures will be required to improve the uptake of the MMR vaccine which has fallen short of the target 95 per cent up-take rate.

"While very significant progress has been made in recent decades in the health of our children, more requires to be done to be on a par with our European partners. The needs of our children are becoming more complex and our response needs to be more holistic and child-centred," Dr Kiely said.