TV tipover tragedies - How heavy TV's can injure & kill your child !

Televisions need to be anchored to the wall to prevent tipping

The heavy television in your home may not seem like something that your child could knock over. However, many children are injured and even killed by TVs that have tipped over.

• Parent Plus

• Copyright © 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Front-heavy televisions can topple on a child who is trying to reach for a toy or remote control that is sitting on top of the TV.

In fact, 169 children died between 2000 and 2010 due to televisions tipping over, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Deaths usually are caused when a television crushes or suffocates a child.

In addition, an estimated 13,700 children were treated in emergency departments between 2008 and 2010 because they were struck by a television, according to the CPSC. Those younger than 5 years old were injured most frequently, and the most common injuries were to the head. The number of injuries reported rose each year.

To protect your child from such injuries, follow these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• Place your television on a low stand or base and push the television as far back on the furniture as possible.
• Make sure the stand is sturdy and can handle the weight of your TV.
• Do not place your television on a piece of furniture that is not designed for this use, such as a cabinet or table.
• Secure your TV and its stand to a wall stud with anchoring devices, such as safety straps, earthquake cables, L-brackets or braces. These devices can be purchased from retailers.
• Check packaging to make sure the anchoring device can support the weight of your TV and is designed for the kind of TV you own. For example, an anchoring device marked for flat screen TVs should not be used for older, boxier televisions.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to anchor the television.
• Do not place remote controls, toys or other items that might attract your child on top of the stand or television.
• Keep TV and cable cords out of your child’s reach, as tugging on these can cause a television to tip over.
  Source
  Copyright © 2012 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
  My view: We in India do not unfortunately have such useful database for childhood injuries, but I am sure that similar problems exist. I have personally seen children with injuries due to falling TVs in our ER. While the newer LCD / LED TVs are generally lighter (but Plasma TV are not!), one must remember that in a household with children all TVs should be wall mounted or fixed to a sturdy base as suggested above to avoid serious injury to children.

When can I pierce my baby's ears?

I was asked this question today by a parent of a 6 month old, and I was stumped. The common question that usually gets asked is whether to get the ear pierced by a doctor or a jeweler (a common practice in India), and this was a new one for me. Here is what I found online....

Although some parents like to get their baby's ears pierced as early as possible, the American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend that you "postpone the piercing until your child is mature enough to take care of the pierced site herself."

This can help avoid some of the risks of baby ear piercing, including:

• infection - younger infants have immature immune systems, so they might not be able to fight off an infection at the site of the piercing very well.
• choking hazard - if they get the earring off.
• allergic reactions - to the metals in the earrings (especially nickle and gold) she wears, but which can be hard to notice since infants normally rub their ears a lot.
• embedded earring - this occurs when one part of the earring goes into the earring hole and gets embedded inside. Although this can happen at any age, it can be harder to remove from infants.

How big are the risks? They are likely fairly small, but since baby ear piercing is usually just a cosmetic procedure that can be put off to a safer time, there is little reason to take that even small risk.

Source

My view: I would agree whole-heartedly that waiting till the child is at least 5-6 years old makes sense. 

Ghana introduces two new vaccines in National Immunization Program

WHO in the African Region, Ghana: Two new vaccines: April 26. 2012

Ghana today made history as the first African country to simultaneously introduce pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines in its national immunization programme in a bid to fight pneumonia and diarrheoal diseases, each of which accounts for approximately 10 per cent of under-five deaths in the country.

 

Ghanaian First Lady, H. E. Dr Ernestina Naadu Mills, said at a ceremony in Accra marking the introduction of the two life-saving vaccines:

"I am happy to announce that vaccines against pneumonia will from today be available at all health centres and hospitals. Children will be given three doses of the vaccine at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age.

 

Also, rotavirus vaccines will be administered to children aged 6 and 10 weeks."

 

In his remarks, WHO Deputy Director-General, Dr Asamoah-Baah, praised Ghana's "bold" decision to introduce the two vaccines at the same time and spoke of the phenomenal progress Ghana had made over the years in immunization coverage from a national coverage of 4% with just one antigen in 1985 to a national coverage of 90% with nine antigens in 2012.

 

Source: Ghana introduces 2 new vaccines

My view: I take a lot of lectures for Pediatricians across India. Given that new vaccines are one of my areas of special interest, I enjoy teaching about controversies & questions related to these in various fora. However, I always like to say that if we could get Rotavirus & Pneumococcal vaccines in our National Schedule, we could reduce the mortality rates tremendously in India. Now that Ghana has shown the way, we too should take support from GAVI and do this good deed. Our next generation will surely thank the politicians who take this initiative, and we will end up saving hundreds of thousands of lives.