RALEIGH - The rate of child deaths in North Carolina fell last year to the lowest ever recorded, a task force studying child fatalities said today.

Deaths fell in 2006 to 73.2 per 100,000 children ages 17 and under. That was a drop of 5 percent from 2005, 17 percent in the past 10 years and 31 percent since the task force started in 1991.

Injuries remained the leading cause of death for children ages 1-17.

Tom Vitaglione, chairman of the state Child Fatality Task Force, attributed the overall decline in death rates among children to increased funding and child safety legislation, the work of state and local agencies and the attentiveness of parents.

Vitaglione said, however, that the state has more to do in preventing the deaths of children. North Carolina ranks about 45th among the states in infant mortality and 25th in the death rates for older children, he said.

The task force plans to use the data to further examine the reasons behind the deaths of children.

According to the task force:

* The number of deaths and the death rate fell for all age groups, except for a small increase for children ages 5-9..

* Though the number of children has increased, the number of unintentional injuries remained the same.

* A decline in infant deaths included decreases in birth defects and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

* A drop in suicides and homicides reversed a trend of increases in recent years.

* Firearm-related deaths fell from 61 in 2005 to 45 in 2006.

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