Nonintentional childhood injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in children worldwide, responsible for 950,000 deaths, and of these 90% are preventable. In the USA, for every child injury death there are 34 children hospitalized and 1,000 children treated in the emergency department. Moreover, the health care burden attributed to non-intentional childhood injuries is nearly $300 billion each year, accounting for 15% of total medical spending for children between ages 1 and 19 in the USA. Efforts to decrease the morbidity and mortality led to an unprecedented World Health Organization Summit for Child Injury Prevention in 2005, which urged prevention and increased public awareness. While fire-related burns, falls, and poisonings are frequent causes, road traffic injuries and drowning are the source of more than 50% of childhood injuries. A brief synopsis of the injuries comprising this global public health epidemic is provided.

An estimated 720 children die daily, while...