BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 The newly released annual Child Death Review Report shows child death rates have decreased in Kern County over the last five years. However, they\u2019re still much higher than the state and national averages.<\/p>\n
The Child Death Review is an annual report that aims to identify suspicious deaths of children under the age of 18.<\/p>\n
A total of 128 children died in Kern county last year. Forty-seven of those death could\u2019ve been prevented, according to the coroner\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Trial date postponed again in death of Arvin educator Larry Hallum <\/a><\/p>\n The 35-page report examines each preventable death from last year. 2024 saw the lowest rates of child abuse and neglect over the last five years.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m encouraged again by the decrease, but one \u2014 one, is too much. I want to get to zero,\u201d said District 3 Supervisor Jeff Flores. \u201cWe need to do everything we can to save lives, to save children\u2019s lives, especially those deaths that are preventable.\u201d<\/p>\n But Kern\u2019s five-year average was almost 62% above statewide rates.<\/p>\n By the numbers, The leading cause of death for children in Kern County was blunt force trauma, including car accidents, which had 10 deaths.<\/p>\n Seven children died of homicide, eight were natural deaths or deaths related to medical illnesses or diseases, six were the result of suicide and nine were undetermined.<\/p>\n The most vulnerable population in the report were children aged 15 to 17 years old, making up more than 36% of the preventable child deaths.<\/p>\n The report also showed disparities in child deaths based on ethnic background. The preventable death rate for Black children was nearly four times higher than that of white children and almost three times higher than Hispanic children.<\/p>\n