The epidemiology of drowning worldwide

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis was to quantify the magnitude of death and disability from drowning and near-drowning worldwide and to provide epidemiological data on which to base prevention efforts. All data are from the Global Burden of Disease 2000 (Version 1) estimates in which deaths and disabilities are based on the WHO International Classification of Diseases. Extrapolations were made by age, sex, and WHO region. The six WHO regions of the world were further divided into high-income, and low- and middle-income based on the 1998 World Development indicators. According to the GBD 2000 data, an estimated 449,000 people drowned worldwide (7.4 per 100,000 population) and a further 1.3 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were lost as a result of premature death or disability from drowning. 97% of drownings occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Although 38% of drownings occurred in the Western Pacific Region, Africa had the highest drowning mortality rate (13.1 per 100,000 population). Males had higher drowning mortality rates than females for all ages and in all regions. Children under the age of 5 years had the highest drowning mortality rate for both sexes in all of the WHO regions except for Africa, where children aged 5 to 14 years had the highest mortality rate. Worldwide, for children under the age of 15 years, drowning accounted for a higher mortality rate than any other cause of injury. Drowning is a significant problem worldwide particularly for children under the age of 15 years. Low- and middle-income countries have the highest rates of drowning and account for more than 90% of such fatalities. Primary prevention efforts should thus be focused on these countries where many children who cannot swim drown in large bodies of water.

Swimming obstructed by dead-water

“…Drowning is a major cause of death worldwide, with an estimated 400,000 people drowning annually (WHO 2002;Peden and McGee 2003). Recently, it was proposed that enigmatic drowning cases in open water, occurring under fair-weather conditions, might be caused by 'dead-water', a typical effect of the water's stratification (Maas and Van Haren 2006).…”

Drowning: an overlooked cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Canada

“…1 In 2002, an estimated 450,000 people drowned worldwide, accounting for 9% of all injury-related deaths. 3 An additional 1.3 million disability-adjusted life-years were lost as a result of premature death or disability after a drowning incident. 3 In spite of the fact that drowning incidents were on the decline between 1992 and 2004 in Canada, the number is on the rise again, 4 and drowning remains the fourth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths, behind motor vehicle crashes, falls, and poisonings.…”

“…3 An additional 1.3 million disability-adjusted life-years were lost as a result of premature death or disability after a drowning incident. 3 In spite of the fact that drowning incidents were on the decline between 1992 and 2004 in Canada, the number is on the rise again, 4 and drowning remains the fourth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths, behind motor vehicle crashes, falls, and poisonings. 5 The Lifesaving Society of Canada estimates that between 400 and 500 people (or 1.5 per 100,000) drown every year in Canada.…”

“…These characteristics may inform strategies to prevent drownings and improve resuscitation efforts. Most epidemiologic studies of drownings are derived from European countries that border oceans and report incidence and mortality statistics, 3,5,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] with little emphasis on the prehospital characteristics.…”

Retrospective Analysis of Drowning Incidents at a University Hospital in Switzerland

“…Low and middle-income countries have the highest rates of drowning and account for more than 90% of such fatalities, Africa having the highest mortality rate (13.1/100000) [3]. In comparison to this magnitude of deaths worldwide, the rate of fatal drowning in Switzerland is low with 0.6/100000 habitants, and also low compared to deaths from road traffic accidents in Switzerland (3.8/100000) [4].…”