Last update:
   15-Nov-2008
 

Arch Hellen Med, 2008, 25(Supplement 1):40-45

REVIEW

Message 6: “Be safe near water”

E. GERMENI1, A. TERZIDIS1, E.Th. PETRIDOU1,2
1Center for Research and Prevention of Injuries (CEREPRI), Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Athens University Medical School
2Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA

Drowning is the fifth commonest cause of unintentional injury death in the European Union (ĆU). As it constitutes the most fatal type of injury, drowning has been ranked by European Union experts as one of the top priorities for action. Based on the most recent Global Burden of Disease data, the global mortality rate from drowning is 6.8 per 100,000 people, which translates to about 400,000 deaths per year. This paper presents (a) the magnitude and the socio-economic burden of this epidemic in the countries of the EU, (b) the underlying risk factors that are associated with this type of injury and (c) the evidence based preventive practices that reduce the likelihood of drowning occurrence. Some of these measures are therefore included in the European Code Against Injuries (ECAI) aiming to raise public awareness regarding injury prevention. Given that drowning represents the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children, the primary age group of concern in this review is the age group 0-14 years old.

Key words: Drowning, European Code Against Injuries, Prevention.

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