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 On average, every hour of every day more than 40 people drown around the world. That’s 372,000 fatalities annually. Drownings are one of the top 10 killers of kids and young adults, with the highest rate of drowning deaths among children under five years of age. 
 
 
 
 So finds the World Health Organization’s first global report on drowning, which they call a “neglected public health issue.” 
 
 
 
 The just–published analysis represents the first global snapshot of a problem which especially hits low- and middle-income nations. Drownings have become more rare in the U.S. in recent years, but the latest figures from the CDC indicate that even in the states some 3,800 people die by unintentional drowning each year. 
 
 
 
 The WHO analysis finds that globally males are twice as likely to die by drowning compared to females. Likely reasons include riskier behavior like swimming alone or drinking alcohol before engaging in water activities. 
 
 
 
 The report notes that local communities can take steps to help avert drowning deaths. WHO recommends installing barriers around water and teaching swimming, proper water safety and rescue techniques. At a national level, improved boating regulations, water safety policies and flood risk management would also help more people make it home safely. 
 
 
 
 —Dina Fine Maron 
 
 
 
 [The above text is a transcript of this podcast.] 
 
 

 The WHO Global report on drowning: preventing a leading killer highlights that 372,000 people drown worldwide each year. Drowning is among the ten leading causes of death for children and young people in every region of the world. The report sets out the evidence showing a range of effective drowning prevention strategies, and makes a number of recommendations for concrete measures to be taken by national and local governments. With the release of this report, WHO aims to galvanize attention and action to this issue by highlighting how collaboration across sectors can save lives.
– It's one of the top 10 killers of kids and young adults, but a new WHO report says that drowning remains a "neglected public health issue" that's still happening with alarming frequency around the world, Scientific American reports. The study points out some startling statistics: More than 40 people die, on average, every hour from drowning (about one person every 90 seconds), resulting in 372,000 deaths per year. Men are twice as likely to drown as women, with possible reasons including ill-advised behavior such as swimming solo or drinking alcohol before taking a dip. More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income nations—and the numbers account for nearly two-thirds the deaths that malnutrition claims, and more than half that of malaria deaths, even though those two issues are the recipients of "broad prevention" initiatives, the report adds. In the US, the numbers are similarly sobering. An average of 10 people die daily from drowning; 20% of them are kids 14 and under, the CDC reports—and for every child in that age group who drowns, five receive ER care for "submersion injuries." The study, which the WHO hopes will "galvanize attention and action," notes that "prevention is vital," as a person who starts drowning is often not likely to make it and because survival depends "almost exclusively" on how the victim is treated at the scene of the incident. Prevention methods on both the community and national level suggested by the WHO report include better swimming and water safety instruction; barriers (e.g., pool fencing) around bodies of water; and improved boating regulations, such as the CDC's tip to wear life jackets to reduce drowning risk. (You can even drown hours after you’ve gone swimming.)