Child drowning in Vietnam is 10 times higher than in developed countries.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, in the period 2016 - 2021, in Vietnam, on average, more than 2,000 children die each year from drowning. Although the number of deaths due to drowning has decreased over the years, drowning is still the leading cause of death due to accidents and injuries in children and adolescents.

The drowning mortality rate among children aged 0-14 in Vietnam is higher than the mortality rate in the Asia- Pacific region and globally; lower than low-income countries and nearly 10 times higher than developed countries.

Summer is coming, the demand for swimming and swimming lessons is increasing

Notably, child drowning deaths account for about 50% of deaths due to accidents and injuries; occurring mainly in the community (76.6%), at home (22.4%) and at school (1%); in which the 0-4 age group has the highest drowning mortality rate and boys are twice as likely as girls. Children in rural areas are twice as likely to drown as children in urban areas and 55% of children who die from drowning come from poor rural households.

According to a report by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, in the first 6 months of 2022, the situation of child drowning tended to increase, with many child drowning incidents occurring nationwide, mainly during the preparation for summer vacation and the summer months when children are out of school.

In particular, after the Covid-19 epidemic was controlled, children returned to school, started participating in recreational activities, and followed their families to tourist areas. There were many tragic drowning incidents, causing many children to die, some of them were siblings in the same family. To date, drowning deaths are the biggest threat to children, directly affecting the happiness of families as well as the development of the country.

Swimming classes like Anh Vien's swimming pool are very popular.

Explaining the reason why the death rate from drowning is still high, Mr. Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Children, said that the awareness of the community, parents, caregivers and children themselves about the risks of drowning is still limited. Many cases of injuries and drowning in children occur due to the lack of knowledge of adults and the children themselves.

In addition, the living environment in each family and in the community is not safe, potentially causing drowning risks for children. Many wells and water tanks do not have covers, many construction projects do not have fences, lack warning signs at water holes or do not fill water holes after construction is completed. Rivers, deep lakes, whirlpools near residential areas do not have fences or warning signs.

"In particular, children lack safety skills in the water environment, many children do not know how to swim safely. Due to the lack of skills, they do not recognize the dangerous water environment but still go swimming, do not know how to save drowning indirectly but jump in to save drowning directly when they see a drowning friend, leading to the death of many children at the same time," said Mr. Nam.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/duoi-nuoc-o-tre-em-tai-viet-nam-cao-gap-10-lan-nuoc-phat-trien-185230524114200211.htm