The report says injury deaths can be reduced to an astonishing degree when societies put their minds and money to the task. In 2004, the global rate for both sexes combined was 39 deaths per 1 lakh children.

Many prevention strategies endorsed by rich societies are now being adopted in the developing world. They include strict drunken-driving laws; requirements that wells be covered and swimming pools fenced off; installing window guards in upper-story apartments; having standards for child-resistant lighters; requiring child-resistant packaging of drugs, stove fuel and poisons; and establishing poison-control centres and burns units.

Traffic injuries are the leading cause of death worldwide for 15 to 19 year olds and the second-leading cause for children aged 5 to 14. But the use of seat belts, child seats and helmets, and the institution of “graduated licensing” of new drivers is essentially unknown in many countries.

For individuals, prevention is often economically burdensome. According to the WHO report, a factory labourer in a low-income country must work 11 times more than his counterpart in a high-income country to buy a bicycle helmet. That’s why injury prevention programmes increasingly feature product giveaways paired with education.

At the same time, some countries have risks not widely shared by others. Death rates from burns are 11 times as high in developing countries as in industrialised ones. European and American boys and girls have virtually equal rates of death from fire. In South Asia and South-East Asia, however, girls’ mortality is three times more.

The explanation, at least in part, is the confluence of three hazards — girls assist in family cooking at an early age; the heat source is often an open flame on the ground; and female attire is long and flowing.

Tips from TIPP

The Injury Prevention Program (TIPP) of the American Academy of Paediatrics offers a set of age-specific “safety sheets”:

•Up to 6 months: Make certain that your baby’s car safety seat is installed correctly

•6 to 12 months: Use gates on stairways and doors. Install operable window guards on all windows above the first floor. If your child has a serious fall or does not act normally after a fall, call your doctor

•1 to 2 years: Children in homes where guns are present are in the danger of being shot. Ask if the homes where your child visits have guns and how they are stored

•2 to 4 years: Find non-toxic substances to use at home

•5 years: Bike, street, fire, car, firearm and water safety are key. Even if your children know swimming, never let them swim alone

•6 years: Teach your children to never cross the street when not accompanied by a grown-up. Make sure they wear a helmet when they ride a bike

•8 years: Your child should use a booster seat in the car until the lap belt can be worn low and flat on the hips and the shoulder belt can be worn across the shoulder rather than the face or neck. The safest place for all children to ride is in the backseat

•10 years: Ask your doctor which sports are right for your child’s age. Be sure your child wears the protective equipment made for that sport