Many regions around the world witness the fall of children into wells, but the cases of falls are not limited to such accidents, as hundreds of thousands of lives are lost around the world in various “falling accidents”, including also falling from the highest buildings, and the age groups exposed to these vary. Accidents, but children and the elderly are always the most vulnerable.
scary numbers
The World Health Organization defines “falls” as any event that causes a person to fall unintentionally on the ground or on any surface or any place from a higher height, as happened with the child Ryan, and injuries from falls can be fatal, although they are not so in Most of the time.
There are 37.3 million non-fatal falls every year, but their degree of severity requires medical attention, while the World Health Organization estimates the number of “falls” victims annually at about 684,000 deaths, making it the second cause of death from unintentional injuries, after deaths caused by injuries caused by injuries. Road accidents.
More than 80 percent of deaths from falls occur in low- and middle-income countries, the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions account for 60% of these deaths, and the highest death rates from these accidents are among adults over the age of 60 years.
Prevention
The World Health Organization recommends to countries a number of necessary preventive interventions to reduce falls, the most important of which are:
1. Fencing or restricting access to dangerous areas.
2. Promote the policies and standards of playgrounds that require low spaces and restrict their height to prevent falls.
3. The application of effective systems in occupational safety and health.
The organization also offers a number of other tips, according to the stages of life, for children and adolescents:
1. Upbringing programs for low-income and disadvantaged families.
2. Providing parents with information about the dangers of falling children, and supporting them in reducing these risks at home.
3. Enforce stricter workplace safety regulations in high-risk jobs such as the construction sector.
4. Designing multi-component programs for safety in the workplace.
With regard to the elderly; The organization recommends the following:
1. Walking training, keeping balance and functional training.
2. Reducing or quitting psychotropic substances.
3. Take vitamin “D” supplements for those who suffer from a deficiency in it.
