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Traffic accidents biggest killer of teens: WHO
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Deaths from traffic accidents although typically occurring in poorer regions in Europe and the Americas are still the leading cause of adolescent deaths in high-income countries. (Shutterstock/File)
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research study recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that road traffic accidents are the leading cause of teenage deaths globally, with 1 in 10 adolescent deaths attributed to injuries suffered from traffic accidents.
It also found that most road injuries involved males aged between 10 and 19, while chest infections and self-harm were the leading causes of death for women between the same ages.
WHO describes adolescents as “vulnerable road users," and included pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists in its report.
Deaths from traffic accidents although typically occurring in poorer regions in Europe and the Americas are still the leading cause of adolescent deaths in high-income countries.
Read also: Indonesian youths among happiest in the world: Survey
According to the report, over 1.2 million adolescents deaths occurred in 2015 -- at a rate of more than 3,000 per day -- with two-thirds taking place in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.
After road injuries, WHO listed lower respiratory infections as the second leading cause of death in teenagers aged 10 to 19, while self-harm, whether intentional or accidental suicide, ranked third. Diarrhoeal disease and drowning ranked as the fourth and fifth leading causes of deaths in teenagers, respectively. (sul/kes)
