The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) in coordination with the research office of UNICEF has conducted a survey of child drowning accidents in the four countries of Bangladesh , Cambodia , Thailand and Vietnam and the Chinese city of Beijing and Jiangxi province.
The survey shows that one in every four deaths of children aged between one to four years of age was due to drowning in these places. The drowning rate alone exceeded deaths from measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and tuberculosis combined.
In Vietnam , the rate of under-five children deaths by drowning is equal to child mortality rates due to other diseases, but higher among older children.
To deal with the situation, in recent years UNICEF has supported Vietnam in activities to prevent child drownings, including building and implementing waterway safety policies, raising people’s awareness of drowning risks and effective prevention, and especially teaching children to swim.
Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF representative in Vietnam, said Vietnam’s Government and social organisations acknowledge the importance of drowning prevention and the need to exert more efforts in this work.-VNA
The survey shows that one in every four deaths of children aged between one to four years of age was due to drowning in these places. The drowning rate alone exceeded deaths from measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria and tuberculosis combined.
In Vietnam , the rate of under-five children deaths by drowning is equal to child mortality rates due to other diseases, but higher among older children.
To deal with the situation, in recent years UNICEF has supported Vietnam in activities to prevent child drownings, including building and implementing waterway safety policies, raising people’s awareness of drowning risks and effective prevention, and especially teaching children to swim.
Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF representative in Vietnam, said Vietnam’s Government and social organisations acknowledge the importance of drowning prevention and the need to exert more efforts in this work.-VNA
