NONTHABURI – The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has launched a campaign urging adults to prevent children drowning as the school break is approaching.
Director General of the Department of Disease Control Dr. Amnuay Gajeena has presided over a press conference announcing the campaign which began in response to the alarming child drowning statistics over the past decade.
According to the World Health Organization, more than 140,000 children aged under 15 lose their lives in the water each year. Drowning is the third greatest cause of death in juveniles after meningitis and AIDS.
In Thailand, drowning is the number one cause of child death. For example water-related fatalities in the country are 14 times higher than those resulting from dengue fever. The Bureau of Policy and Strategy revealed that drowning killed one child every eight hours on average. Over the past 10 years, more than 10,000 juveniles have died from drowning.
Dr. Amnuay said the campaign aimed to raise awareness of child safety among adults. Various activities will be held to urge families, schools, day care centers and communities to pay even closer attention to minors.
