New Delhi (NVI): Drowning has become the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death, accounting for 7 per cent of all injury-related deaths, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report.
Drowning is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid; outcomes are classified as death, morbidity and no morbidity.
The global burden and death from drowning is found in all economies and regions, however low and middle-income countries account for over 90 per cent of unintentional drowning deaths.
According to the report, drowning takes thousands of lives each year – in fact it is one of the biggest causes of death for children aged between 5-14.
The Global report on drowning shows that age is one of the major risk factors for drowning. This relationship is often associated with a lapse in supervision.
Drowning can occur in any body of water. It’s crucial that parents stay vigilant and effectively supervise their children around water.
In 2016, an estimated 3,20,000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide. In 2015, injuries accounted for over 9% of total global mortality.
Drowning can be prevented through many actions like installing barriers (e.g. covering wells, using doorway barriers and playpens, fencing swimming pools etc.) to control access to water hazards.
Community-based, supervised child care for pre-school children can reduce drowning risk and has other proven health benefits. Teaching school-age children basic swimming, water safety and safe rescue skills is another approach.
But these efforts must be undertaken with an emphasis on safety, and an overall risk management that includes a safety-tested curricula, a safe training area, screening and student selection, and student-instructor ratios established for safety, according to WHO.
