Every year, about 300,000 people lose their lives to drowning globally, with a quarter of these losses being children between the ages of one and four.
A staggering ninety-two percent of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
In these areas, safety measures and access to resources are limited.
More concerning is the fact that drowning cases in these regions are three times higher than in high-income countries.
What is drowning?
The WHO defines drowning as the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid.
This public health crisis is concerning and is regarded as a significant challenge in countries such as Nigeria, where drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths, particularly among children.
Based on statistics, children are at a higher risk of drowning than adults.
This is because of their inability to assess risk of drowning in certain situations as well as a lack of swimming and water safety skills.
This risk of is heightened when children interact with water outside of active adult supervision.
“Children and young adults aged 0–29 years account for over half (57%) of all drowning deaths.
“The highest drowning rates per population are among children aged 0–4 years,” the WHO said.
Why children are more vulnerable
Children face a higher risk of drowning than adults as a result of their developmental stage.
This is coupled with a lack of awareness of water hazards.
Oftentimes, children lack the ability to decide if a situation may be risky.
Their vulnerability is increased when they lack basic swimming and water safety skills.
In cases here children interact with water without active adult supervision, they face Ben greater risks.
According to the WHO, children and young adults aged 0–29 years account for over half of all drowning deaths, with the highest rates among children aged 0–4 years.
Who are at risk of drowning?
While drowning occurs in various places, some places poses more danger than others.
In poorer regions, people face more risk of drowning through frequent use of open bodies of water such as ponds and rivers, wells for fetching water for daily consumption.
Some professions such as fishing also increases the risk to drowning in many regions.
Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that over 32,000 fishers die every year due to drowning.
Unfortunately, climate change has also increased the likelihood of these incidents, with the increase in flooding in many areas.
For countries such as Nigeria where access to early warning systems and flood mitigation infrastructure are poor, people face greater danger.
Furthermore, most cases of drowning in Nigeria occur when people travel by water which is a common means of transportation in many rural areas in Nigeria.
This risk is heightened by dangerous weather conditions or without appropriate safety equipment.
Boats are often times overcrowded and unsafe for passengers.
By limiting children’s access to water, its hazard exposure and risk can be curtailed.
Tips for preventing children from drowning
Preventing drowning requires a multi-faceted approach, particularly for children.
Key strategies include ensuring that children are always supervised when near water to ensure their safety, creating barriers such as fences around pools and covering wells to reduce exposure to water hazards.
Others include teaching children basic swimming skills, water safety, and safe rescue techniques.
The WHO equally recommends increased investments in daycare programs for preschool children and swimming lessons to save lives.
The global health body estimates that scaling up these interventions could prevent 774,000 child drowning deaths by 2050.
Overall, there is a need to enforce strict water safety regulations and ensuring the use of life jackets and appropriate safety gear during water activities to reduce the risks associated with drowning.
