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Cold, damp homes bigger threat to kiwi kids than car accidents

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Wed, 30 Aug 2017, 8:06AM
According to health statistics, 20 New Zealand children are dying every year from issues related to poor housing. (Photo \ Getty Images)

Cold, damp homes bigger threat to kiwi kids than car accidents

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Wed, 30 Aug 2017, 8:06AM

Cold, damp and overcrowded homes are a bigger threat to Kiwi kids than car accidents.

According to health statistics, 20 New Zealand children are dying every year, while another 30,000 are hospitalised from issues related to poor housing.

READ MORE: Crowded, damp homes killing 20 kids every year

Paediatric expert at Auckland University, Dr Innes Asher told Mike Hosking it needs to become an election issue.

"If we had the Prime Minister or Cabinet Ministers whose children themselves were dying from these diseases or being hospitalised this problem would have been fixed by now."

In comparison, diseases related to inadequate housing kill more children than either car crashes or drownings, which claim an average 10 lives a year each.

LISTEN ABOVE AS DR INNES ASHER SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

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