Distinguished participants,
Welcome to the launch of WHO’s first Regional Status Report on Drowning Prevention in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions.
Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
Low- and middle-income countries account for more than 90% of unintentional drowning deaths, and over half of the world’s drownings occur in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions.
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% of all deaths in flood disasters, which many countries in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions are particularly vulnerable to.
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.
In both regions, communities and individuals interact with water on a daily basis: when swimming at beaches or in pools; when travelling long distances over water in boats; when using rivers and ponds for collecting water and sustaining livelihoods; and when facing exposure to flood waters caused by seasonal weather events such as monsoons, or extreme weather events such as cyclones and typhoons.
To reduce the risk of each of these hazards and more, policy makers can leverage a range of evidence-based and low-cost interventions, which should be integrated into regional and national agendas, including on mitigating the health impacts of climate change.
Through multisectoral coordination, strong leadership, and ongoing planning, monitoring and evaluation, together we can reduce the burden of drowning in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, for a safer, fairer and healthier future for all.
Thank you.