Unintentional childhood mortality during emergencies in Israel: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Armed conflicts are likely to have implications for the welfare and safety of children, potentially leading to increased rates of unintentional childhood injuries. METHODS: We examine data from Israel concerning the relationship between emergencies and childhood mortality due to unintentional injuries using the media-based database of Beterem Safe Kids Israel to analyse seven events: 2008 Gaza War, 2014 Gaza War, first COVID-19 Lockdown, second COVID-19 Lockdown (September 2020), third COVID-19 Lockdown (December 2020), 2021 Israel-Palestine crisis and 2023 Israel-Gaza War. These events are categorised into Emergency Periods (EPs) and Emergency Routine Periods (periods during which an emergency extends and normalises into a stable routine; ERPs). For each EP we selected a comparable Routine Period (RP). RESULTS: Unintentional childhood mortality rates are lower during EPs, compared with RPs. Conversely, there is an increase in unintentional mortality rates during ERPs. EPs and ERPs occurring during armed conflicts exhibit higher unintentional mortality rates compared with health-related EPs and ERPs. Furthermore, military-related ERPs show higher unintentional mortality rates compared with the corresponding RPs. Unintentional mortality rates are notably higher among Arab children compared with Jewish children, particularly during ERPs. Unintentional childhood mortality also differs as a function of socioeconomic ranking, with widening gaps between municipalities of low socioeconomic ranking and municipalities of medium to high socioeconomic ranking, during EPs and ERPs. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesise that parents' emotional availability declines during EPs and ERPs associated with military conflicts, coinciding with socioeconomic aspects, impacting families' well-being and children's safety.

Child drowning mortality in Israel: Trends and measures for prevention.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we use the media-based database of Beterem-Safe Kids Israel, to provide a 15-year review of unintentional fatal childhood drowning in Israel, between 2008 and 2022. METHOD: It total, we identified 257 cases of child mortality due to drowning during this period. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate a gradual rise in childhood mortality due to drowning, from 72 cases in 2008-2012, to 85 cases in 2013-2017, and to 100 cases in 2018-2022. Especially worth noting is the increase in childhood drowning in domestic swimming pools. We point to a link between low socioeconomic status and cases of drowning, showing that the risk of drowning extends beyond a mere matter of caregiver inattention. We recommend a series of regulatory and legislative steps to reduce fatal childhood drowning, including fencing built around domestic swimming pools, extending lifeguard activity hours, adding declared beaches, forming programs of safe behavior in water environments for adolescents, and establishing swimming lessons during the 2nd grade, for all populations. We further recommend that a special focus will be put in municipalities situated at the bottom of the socioeconomic index.