February 2014

Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!

View the Current Did You Know?

February 28, 2014

A new CDC study finds that US children with sickle cell disease are more likely to develop invasive pneumococcal disease than children without sickle cell disease.
About 1.6 million people die each year from pneumococcal disease worldwide, and about 10% with the invasive form will die from it.
Children with sickle cell disease should be given vaccines, including the pneumococcal disease vaccine, in accordance with CDC’s recommended immunization schedule [PDF – 122KB].

February 21, 2014

Since the mid-1990s, alcohol-impaired driving has been involved in nearly one-third of all fatal crashes [PDF-3.3MB].
Ignition interlocks, devices installed in a vehicle that prevent the vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath, reduce the rate of re-arrest [PDF-584KB] among convicted alcohol-impaired drivers by 67% while installed.
As of August 1, 2013, 19 states had laws requiring ignition interlocks for all offenders convicted of driving while intoxicated, according to CDC’s 2013 Prevention Status Reports.

February 14, 2014

Nearly a quarter of sodium in the American diet comes from restaurant foods, so choose wisely to reduce sodium from menu to mouth [PDF-320KB].
About 9 in 10 Americans consume too much sodium [PDF-1.7MB], and too much sodium increases risk for high blood pressure.
State and local health departments can work with restaurants to help reduce the amount of sodium in food and keep people healthier.

February 7, 2014

Motor vehicle crashes killed more than 9,000 children aged 12 years and under over the past decade.
Almost half of all black (45%) and Hispanic (46%) children killed in crashes during 2009-2010 were not buckled up, compared with 26% of white children.
States can help reduce child motor vehicle injuries and deaths by using recommended strategies to increase car seat, booster seat, and seat belt use.