All articles tagged with #pediatric mortality
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that states with more permissive gun laws experienced a significant increase in firearm-related deaths among children and teens over 13 years, highlighting the importance of stricter gun regulations to prevent pediatric fatalities and injuries.
Child and teen deaths in the US have increased by 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by fatal injuries, according to an editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The increase in pediatric mortality is a dramatic change after decades of progress from medical advancements in pediatric diseases. The spike is largely driven by an increase in injury-related deaths, such as suicide, homicide, overdose deaths, and car accidents, which all began climbing before the pandemic. The pandemic may have also further impeded trauma care and emergency services as the health care system was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
The mortality rate for children and teens in the US surged in 2020 and 2021, driven by fatal injuries from firearms, drugs, and cars, according to a study. Covid-19 mortality rates doubled among children between 2020 and 2021, but still only explained about a fifth of the total increase in mortality in 2021. Firearms accounted for nearly half of the increase in mortality in 2020. Injury mortality increased 23% between 2019 and 2020 among those aged 10 to 19, including homicides that jumped 39% and drug overdoses that more than doubled. Research and policy efforts are urgently needed to address the underlying causes.