New Delhi [India], July 23 (ANI): Nearly two-thirds of global drowning deaths occur in the Asia Pacific, said a World Health Organization (WHO) report.
WHO on Friday launched its first Regional Status Report on Drowning Prevention in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions.
During the launch of the report, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, South-East Asia, WHO said, "Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7 per cent of all injury-related deaths."
Low and middle-income countries account for more than 90 per cent of unintentional drowning deaths, and over half of the world's drownings occur in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, according to WHO.
In 48 of the 85 countries with serviceable data on drowning, drowning is among the top five causes of death for children under the age of 15 years. Drowning accounts for 75 per cent of all deaths in flood disasters, which many countries in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions are particularly vulnerable to, the report says.
For the first time ever, these reports provide knowledge on the status of drowning prevention and water safety in each of the regions, giving a snapshot of the scale of the problem, efforts that are underway to take action, and opportunities to address what is an entirely preventable cause of mortality and morbidity.
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