When one thinks of the biggest killers of children across the globe poverty and disease are what most often come to mind. Only a few inches of water can be fatal to a child, leaving deadly hazards at many turns, such as a tub of water, a washing bin, a rice field, fountain or small pond or even a pail of cleaning water can lead to the death of a small child. Drowning is one of the top three leading causes of unintentional injury or death in most countries around the world. Children under five years of age are at the highest risk.
In Asia drowning is the leading cause of injury and death for children under five years-old, according to the most recent World Report on Child Injury Prevention, by WHO and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In the U.S. drowning is the leading cause of injury and death in children aged 1 to 2 years-old, however the rate of death by drowning in Asia is 30 times higher in Asia, according to the report. The report showed that the results of studies conducted in South and East Asia reviled that w drowning was the cause of 90% of all injury and deaths in children aged 1–4 years-old and more than 50% of in that of children aged 5–9 years-old. The World Health Organization (WHO), estimates that some 388,000 people die globally every year from drowning.
Research by the Alliance for Safe Children, a Thailand-based organization that works to reduce the number of preventable child deaths in Asia, shows 95 percent of all childhood drowning deaths occur in Asia, where two-thirds of the world’s children live.
“The child drowning epidemic has been invisible,” said Michael Linnan, technical director at the Alliance for Safe Children. “It is the biggest killer that no one has heard of.”
A recent study in Bangladesh, where WHO estimates drowning accounts for 20 percent of all childhood deaths, proved preventing drownings through swim-safety and home-based outreach programs can be not only effective, but affordable, Linnan said (IRIN).
Teaching children to swim could literally be the worlds best defense against child mortality. The cost to save children’s lives would compare with that of basic childhood vaccines as research showed that as little as $12.60 for child a swim-safety course would save lives. Additionally placing barriers around low lying pools of water, increasing supervision while around bodies of water, construction of bridges would also significantly decrease the number of childhood deaths related to drowning worldwide.
