*Sent via NCIPC-Announcements Listserv 01/23/2009*

**Protect the Ones You Love: Child Injuries Are Preventable**

                                                                                                                     
January 2009

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to call your attention to new resources from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's Injury Center on child injury
prevention.

Unintentional injuries---such as those caused by burns, drowning, falls,
poisoning and road traffic---are the leading cause of morbidity and
mortality among children in the United States.  Each year, among those 0
to 19 years of age, more than 12,000 people die from unintentional
injuries and more than 9 million are treated in emergency departments
for nonfatal injuries.

In conjunction with the World Health Organization and UNICEF's joint
launch of the *World Report on Child Injury Prevention* (2008), the
CDC's Injury Center is pleased to announce the release of new resources
for the prevention of child injuries in the United States.

-   **Protect the Ones You Love: Child Injuries Are Preventable.** This
    is a new initiative to raise parents' awareness about the leading
    causes of child injury and how they can be prevented. As part of the
    initiative, the Injury Center has developed a number of resources
    that can be used to help parents to keep their children injury-free,
    including fact sheets, podcasts, e-cards, and media and event
    planning guides. Find these and other tools, all available free of
    charge, at <http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/>.

-   CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries
    among 0-19 Year olds in the United States, 2000 -- 2006. This data
    report provides an overview of unintentional injuries related to
    drowning, falls, fires or burns, transportation, poisoning, and
    suffocation, among others, during the period 2000 to 2006. Results
    are presented by age group and sex, as well as the geographic
    distribution of injury death rates by state. Read or download a copy
    of the report at
    [**http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Child_Injury_Data.htm**](http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Child_Injury_Data.htm).

-   **Child Injury Prevention Video.** On December 11, 2008, the Injury
    Center brought together a network of professionals to look at how
    policy, communications/media outreach, and national and local
    programs can be used to empower parents in their efforts to protect
    children. Watch a video of the highlights of the meeting at
    <http://www.cdc.gov/SafeChild/about.htm>.

We are asking you to use these resources to educate, build awareness,
and promote childhood injury prevention in the United States. Working
together, we can keep our children safe and help them live to their full
potential.

Sincerely,

+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+
| > ***Ileana Arias, PhD***       | > ***Grant Baldwin, PhD, MPH***    |
| >                               | >                                  |
| > Director,                     | > Director,                        |
| >                               | >                                  |
| > National Center for Injury    | > Division of Unintentional        |
| >                               | >                                  |
| >    Prevention and Control     | >    Injury Prevention             |
| >                               | >                                  |
| > Centers for Disease           | > National Center for Injury       |
| >                               | >                                  |
| >    Control and Prevention     | >    Prevention and Control        |
+---------------------------------+------------------------------------+