Child Drowning

Percent of deaths
Figure 6: Causes of mortality in IMCI trial, children 0-4 years old, Matlab, Bangladesh, 2001-2002 and
2005-2007
30
25
20
15
Baseline 2001 - 2002
Endline 2005 - 2007
10
5
0
Source: Arifeen S. et al. (August 2009). ‘Effect of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy on childhood mortality and nutrition
in a rural area of in Bangladesh: A cluster randomized trial’, The Lancet, 374(9687):393-403, table 3.
Figure 6 shows that injury, including drowning, now impacts under-five mortality in both infants under
one and children 1-4 years old. The first month of life (the neonatal period) is the period with the largest
number of deaths in childhood. Injury was responsible for almost one out of four (24.6 per cent deaths
in children from day 7 of life through 59 months in 2001-2002. 22 The figure also shows that over the
five-year period of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) trial, injury increased from
24.6 per cent deaths at the baseline to 29.7 per cent at the end of the trial. This is consistent with the
previous figure showing the increasing proportion of deaths from drowning among children 1-4 years
old over the period 1983 to 2003.
Reports from the Matlab DSS as well as findings from the 2003 Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey
show that over 9 out of 10 injury deaths in children aged 1-4 are due to drowning. 23 Since this cohort is
a key age group for attainment of MDG4, it follows that drowning reduction is an important strategy for
achievement of the goal.
1.8 IMPACT ON EARLY CHILD MORTALITY IN THE ASIAN REGION
Drowning rates are especially high in early childhood. The peak rates are usually in the second year of
life. Over half of drowning occurs before the end of the fifth year of life. Unless drowning reduction
becomes a priority in countries struggling with early child mortality reduction, this may present a major
barrier to MDG 4 achievement. The large proportional contribution of drowning in early child mortality
in LMIC countries in Asia is shown in Figure 7.
22 Arifeen S. et al. (2009). ‘Effect of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy on childhood mortality and nutrition
in a rural area of in Bangladesh: A cluster randomized trial’, The Lancet 374:393-403.
23 Rahman, A. et al. (January 2005). Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey: Report on children. Dhaka: Government of the
People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Institute of Child and Mother Health, United Nations Children’s Fund and The Alliance for Safe
Children.
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