A week-long campaign urging people to be alert to children's safety was launched in Shanghai Municipality, east China, on Saturday.
The program, which is sponsored by the Shanghai Center for Pediatrics, aims at teaching parents how to safeguard children from the risk of accidents.
Accidents are the top killer of youngsters in China. Official statistics show that accidents cause 26.1 percent of children's deaths in the country.
Between 1999-June 2002, 97,348 children visited the center because of accident injuries including 232 cases in which the youngsters were harmed after swallowing chemicals or inappropriatemedications.
In China, 52 percent of child accidents occur at home, 19 percent in the streets, and 12 percent at school.
"The majority of accidents could have been prevented," said Professor Shen Xiaoming, director of the center.
At the launching ceremony, the center and the World Health Fundpublished a joint proposal urging the government, the public and families to focus on the issue of children's safety.
(People's Daily August 26, 2002)
