On March 22, 2023, nbc4i.com released an article by Daniel de Visé about child mortality rates raising in more than half a century. Between 2019-2021, the death rate of children and adolescents has risen by 20 percent in those years as well as pediatric death rates, mostly from injuries, and diseases such as cancer and COVID-19. It seems boys are dying at more than twice the percentage rate as girls, African-Americans, and Hispanics are dying in homicides at much higher rates than non-Hispanic whites. Most researchers have found that the most common cause of death in children and adolescents between the ages of 1-19 of both genders and multiple races were car accidents and drug overdose.

Before the percentage rates started rising, child mortality rates were on a downward trend for decades. It was a result of successful public health. Smoke detectors, bicycle helmets, and seat belts all have contributed to lowering the death rates of children. Firearms and fatal vehicular accidents are increased over the past years. Between homicides and suicides of children, firearms have been nearly half the increase for children and adolescents deaths. Another factor is accidental overdosing on alcohol and drugs in 2019 and 2021, which caused twice as many deaths in children than in adults. Child suicide rates have gone up by double from 2007-2021. Children are constantly waiting for a bed in the hospital after a suicide attempt, which has been going on for a couple of years. Daniel de Visé quoted in this article “It should be a wake-up call for all of us.”  nbc4i.com