The Future of Injury Prevention In Canada: Pamela Fuselli - Executive Director, Safe Kids Canada

In December 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO)And UNICEF released the World Report on Child Injury Prevention, highlighting that child injury remains a major public health issue and injuries directly affect a child’s survival. While there is some comfort in knowing Canada is not alone in our fight to reduce preventable injuries or that these issues are remarkably consistent with our experience, the stark fact remains that according to the WHO, “children all over the world are needlessly dying as a result of injuries for which there are known interventions.”

The WHO Report supports the recommendation of Dr. Leitch’s Reaching for the Top Report released in March 2008, that injury prevention needs to be a priority in Canada – for decision-makers at all levelsf government, for research funders, for academic institutions, and for the public health Community, who play a pivotal, but not a lone role in this issue.

The injury prevention community is well connected and collaborative. Through the goodwill of these professionals, we have built many partnerships that has led to shared knowledge, joint projects and initiatives, which has resulted in successful advances in the prevention of injuries. To reach a level of reduction suitable for a developed country such as Canada, injury prevention efforts need committed human and financial resources that will support a national strategy.

While we have certainly seen a reduction, these injuries continue to be the leading cause of death to children and youth across Canada. We as a country are not doing enough. There are known interventions that, if implemented, could reduce the burden of these injuries for Canadian children, their families and their communities. We want to see fewer injuries, healthier children and a safer Canada.