New Delhi [India], December 14 : The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on countries in South-East Asia region to strengthen measures to prevent drowning which disproportionately impacted children and the vulnerable people.
According to WHO's first Global status report on drowning prevention, the South-East Asia region reported 83 000 drowning fatalities in 2021, which accounts to 28 per cent of the global drowning burden and contributing substantially to the nearly 30 lives lost to drowning every hour, across the world.
Nearly 43 per cent drowning fatalities in the region involved children aged 14 years or below, according to WHO press release. Drowning is the third leading cause of death for children aged between five years to 14 years and the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 1-4 years.
Saima Wazed, WHO South-East Asia Regional Director, said, "To save lives and ensure equitable safety for all, expanding and scaling up proven drowning preventive interventions across the Region is not just essential, but a moral imperative."
Poverty, limited access to safety measures, and inadequate infrastructure exacerbate drowning risks, especially in low-and middle-income nations.
In a press release, the WHO said, "Children face heightened vulnerabilities due to inadequate supervision, limited swimming skills, and lack of water safety knowledge. For older children and adolescents, peer pressure, risk-taking behaviors, and substance use further increase their risk. Children with disabilities face additional challenges in recognizing and responding to water hazards. Non-fatal drowning incidents lead to severe long-term neurological complications and disabilities that require prolonged care."
Saima Wazed said most nations in the WHO South-East Asia Region have comprehensive drowning prevention strategies. However, she said that more measures need to be taken like enacting laws mandating lifejacket use, barriers around water hazards, and safe boating regulations have shown potential, though enforcement remains inconsistent in many countries. Rules restricting alcohol consumption near public waterbodies lack in many areas.
She stressed on strengthening governance, having a dedicated lead agency to implement drowning prevention activities, bolstering cross-sectoral collaboration, strengthening drowning data and implementing evidence-based community-level interventions for drowning prevention. Wazed called for introducing community programmes that teach water safety, swimming and rescue skills and providing supervised childcare.
In the press release, Saima Wazed said, "Drowning prevention is fundamentally an issue of equity. By prioritizing vulnerable populations, fostering innovative leadership, and embracing global collaboration, countries can significantly reduce drowning deaths. With sustained commitment and collective action, we can ensure that everyone, everywhere, can live safely around water."
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