October 2010Vol. 11, No. 8CDC Offers Resources on Shaken Baby Syndrome
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently posted a new page in its Injury Prevention & Control web section on traumatic brain injury and shaken baby syndrome (SBS). The new information includes facts, statistics, resources, and methods of prevention of SBS.
Shaking a baby is usually the result of a caregiver's frustrated response to a child's crying. A leading cause of child deaths, SBS can cause bleeding in the brain or eyes. Infants up to the age of 4 months are most at risk of injury from shaking, and inconsolable crying is the primary trigger for shaking a baby.
The webpage describes two educational booklets about SBS and its prevention:
- Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome: Guide for Health Departments and Community-Based Organizations
- A Journalist's Guide to Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Preventable Tragedy, which also links to a video in English and Spanish
Also available are four public service radio announcements in English and Spanish on "Coping With Crying," as well as additional resources.
Access these resources on the CDC website: