Deaths by drowning
Drowning is
preventable; what is needed is the careful watch of children by their parents,
particularly mothers
It is worrying to note that there is no let-up in unnatural deaths in the country. According to a report in this newspaper yesterday two children drowned in the Louhajang river in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail on Saturday. The children fell into the river and drowned due to strong currents while they were playing on the bank of the river.
According to another report four babies drowned in stagnant water in Jessore recently. Besides, at least nine people died from snake-bite in the district within a span of 15 days recently. According to local administration sources, 122 villages in the district were inundated. The affected villagers took shelters at 45 relief and rehabilitation camps being displaced in flood water.
Drowning is the leading cause of death of children in Bangladesh, and it claims lives of approximately 50 children everyday. Ponds and ditches are in abundance in both rural and urban areas. Open water bodies in the country are used for bathing, washing, drinking, agriculture, fish cultivation and for children to play in. Closed vessels such as large buckets and troughs are used for porting, cooking and water for livestock; however these water sources are also responsible for 18,000 annual deaths by drowning of children under 18 years old.
Children of impoverished families are usually the victims since they have to reside in houses that are vulnerable to storm and flood. The highest rates of fatal drowning are found in the 1-4 year age group, when children start to walk and venture away from supervision. Rates of drowning are higher in rural populations, most likely due to the relatively high number of water sources in rural areas compared to urban areas.
Drowning is preventable; what is needed is the careful watch on children by their parents, particularly mothers. In the home, playpens can protect children age 6-18 months when their mother is busy with household chores and cant provide direct supervision. Swimming programmes for children over four years old that teach survival swimming techniques, safe rescue, and basic resuscitation measures can help save children. Safety curriculum, specifically designed to promote
community based drowning risk reduction, is taught in schools. Despite this, drowning is a neglected issue in the country.
Traditional first aid and resuscitation responses to drowning are often counterproductive, and in some cases may reduce the chances of survival if the child is breathing but unconscious. It is the responsibility of the government to pay attention to this vital issue. Generation of consciousness is also needed.
