WHO Unveils Global Drowning Prevention Strategies

On World Drowning Prevention Day (July 25), the World Health Organization released a technical package called PROTECT that outlines seven evidence‑based strategies for governments to cut drowning deaths, which total about 300,000 each year worldwide. The package calls for safer water infrastructure, improved rescue and resuscitation capacity, occupational water safety, regulated water transport, swimming and water‑safety education, child‑care protection, and flood‑preparedness plans. WHO Director‑General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that most drownings are preventable and urged national action.

The WHO highlighted that climate change is raising drowning risk, noting a 7.2% rise in UK drownings for every 1 °C temperature increase. It also cited the Dominican Republic’s record of over 5,000 drownings between 2007 and 2023, stressing the need for legal frameworks, certified lifeguards, and school‑based swimming lessons.

Implementing the PROTECT strategies aims to reduce the 2.5 million drowning victims recorded over the past decade, particularly among children and young adults.