Swift reduction in drowning rates remains elusive

Swift reduction in drowning rates remains elusive

On World Drowning Prevention Day 2025, a united call was made by the Department of Maternal and Child Affairs, World Health Organization (WHO), and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) to escalate actions to safeguard children from drowning. This call comes as Vietnam grapples with a significant number of child drowning deaths, with 4,019 recorded in the same year, accounting for 40% of the total deaths involving children under the age of 14.

Drowning remains a leading cause of death among children aged 5 to 14 in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Government, in collaboration with partners like WHO and CTFK, is taking comprehensive steps to address this issue.

Key strategies include the development of national programs and goals, such as the Child Accident and Injury Prevention Program (2021-2030) and a new program on drowning prevention education for 2025-2035. These programs aim to equip 70% of students by 2030, and 90% by 2035, with drowning prevention knowledge and skills. They also target increasing school swimming pool availability, with the goal of having 30% of primary schools and 70% of communes equipped with pools by 2035, along with certified swimming teachers in schools.

Swimming and water safety education is another crucial component of these efforts. Over 52,000 children aged 6-15 in 10 provinces have already been trained in safe swimming and water safety skills through programs implemented since 2017. These programs include training for instructors, parents, caregivers, and teachers to build community capacity for child drowning prevention.

Multisectoral collaboration and awareness campaigns are also essential. The Ministry of Health (MOH) urges provincial governments, schools, and communities to prioritize drowning prevention with enhanced communication, investments, and scale-up of proven interventions, particularly in high-risk rural areas with many water bodies. Collaboration with international partners such as WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies supports these efforts.

The efforts aim to reduce child drowning deaths by 10% by 2025 and 20% by 2030 through improved education, skill-building, and community safety measures. However, despite these measures, drowning rates in children remain a serious concern, with about 2,000 child drownings reported annually, indicating ongoing challenges and the need to intensify prevention actions, especially in rural and remote areas.

Dr. Angela Pratt, WHO representative in Vietnam, emphasized that every death to drowning is one too many and that there is strong evidence about what works to prevent drowning. WHO has supported the government in policy development and the implementation of the National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Child Injury for 2021-2030 and the Multisectoral Collaboration Plan on Child Drowning Prevention for 2022-2030.

It's important to note that globally, around 300,000 annual drowning deaths were reported in 2021, with 57% involving children and young people, and 92% occurring in low- and middle-income countries. WHO's recommendations for preventing drowning include multisectoral collaboration, strengthening public awareness of drowning, establishing a national drowning prevention plan, and collecting data.

In conclusion, Vietnam’s comprehensive drowning prevention strategies centre on life skills education, swimming instruction, community engagement, facility development, and multisectoral cooperation with clear targets set through 2035 to substantially reduce drowning risks among children under 14. It's a collective responsibility to ensure the safety of our children, and every effort counts in the fight against child drowning.

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