This information was shared by Doan Thi Thu Huyen, a representative of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) in Vietnam, on the occasion of World Drowning Prevention Day, 25/7.

According to Huyen, drowning is among the top 10 causes of death for children under 16. Data from the Ministry of Health indicates that the drowning mortality rate for children aged 0-14 in Vietnam is 10 times higher than in developed countries. This situation is particularly serious in rural areas, where children are twice as likely to drown as those in urban areas. 55% of the victims are from poor families in the countryside.

Children aged 6-15 face the highest risk when playing in rivers, lakes, ponds, or at the beach. Males account for a higher percentage of victims, with many deaths occurring while attempting to rescue friends. Children under 5 often drown near their homes, in ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, canals, even puddles at construction sites or in water tanks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports approximately 300,000 drowning deaths globally each year, mostly children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. This burden is especially concerning as it's a completely preventable tragedy.

The main causes of this situation include limited awareness among families and communities, lack of adult supervision, and the fact that many children cannot swim and lack water safety skills. Many children are not fully aware of the dangers of swimming in rivers or playing near the water's edge.

Swimming facilities and instructors are still lacking in many localities, especially in poor and remote areas. The percentage of schools with swimming pools remains very low: 0.47% for primary schools (675 out of 14,000 schools), 0.25% for lower secondary schools, and 0.41% for upper secondary schools.

More than 100 students in Quang Tri participate in safe swimming and drowning prevention skills training. Photo: CTFK

More than 100 students in Quang Tri participate in safe swimming and drowning prevention skills training. Photo: CTFK

In response to this situation, the Maternal and Child Health Department (Ministry of Health) has launched a national communication campaign, calling for the joint efforts of authorities, parents, and society as a whole in preventing child drowning. The campaign focuses on water safety education and expanding safe swimming programs in schools and communities.

Since 2018, a community-based drowning prevention program implemented by the Maternal and Child Health Department in collaboration with CTFK has been deployed in 12 high-risk provinces such as Dong Thap, An Giang, and Da Nang, with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies. After 7 years of implementation, the program has taught safe swimming to more than 52,000 children, equipped more than 52,200 children with water safety skills, and trained more than 1,000 certified swimming instructors.

"Research from the Hanoi University of Public Health shows that the drowning mortality rate in provinces implementing the program has decreased by an average of 16% compared to before the intervention," Huyen said. "Drowning can happen in a moment, but with the right awareness and timely action, we can completely prevent these unfortunate tragedies."

Many localities have responded to this year's World Drowning Prevention Day. In Quang Tri, more than 100 students from 11 primary and lower secondary schools participated in activities promoting safe swimming and drowning prevention skills.

Le Nga