The number of child fatalities in Catawba County held steady from 2010 to 2011, with just a slight increase.
And the same is true for the number of child protective services reports, said John Eller, director of Catawba County Social Services.
Eller and Jennifer McCracken, Catawba County Public Health Services manager, presented an annual report for 2011 from the Community Child Protection & Fatality Prevention Team to the Catawba County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night.
Twenty-eight children died in the county in 2011. Of the 28, 17 were under the age of 1. Prenatal/perinatal conditions were the most common reason, claiming 13 lives.
Eight children died of illness; two died in vehicle accidents; two died from physical injuries or homicide; one from drowning; and two died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to the report.
The report says substance abuse and domestic violence appears to be a recurring issue instances.
Social services in the county investigated 2,046 cases involving 4,037 children, with neglect being the most reported, Eller said. He said neglect is not only the most commonly reported cases in Catawba County but that also holds true in the state and the nation.
In other business, commissioners:
- Approved using money left over from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Amendment for Royal Heights Circle Water Project, which provided connections to 22 homes, to extend water lines along Old Shelby Road.
- Approved a rezoning request from Jeffery Cernuto to rezone 1.91 acres in the Sherrills Ford section in Catawba County from rural commercial and residential to highway commercial district.
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