Lack of national drowning prevention strategies impedes progress in Africa – WHO

The first-ever Drowning Prevention Report, launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies in Geneva, has shed light on a growing public health crisis: drowning deaths. While drowning is a preventable tragedy, the report reveals a critical gap in African countries’ efforts to combat this issue, particularly in the lack of coordinated national strategies. Only 15% of African countries have a national drowning prevention strategy in place, which significantly hampers the continent’s ability to reduce drowning deaths effectively.

Speaking during a pressing brief at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the Technical Officer in charge of Unintentional Injury Prevention, Mobility and Safety Division at WHO, Dr Caroline Lukaszyk disclosed that the absence of such strategies leads to scattered and sporadic efforts in tackling drowning, adding that these efforts often overlap or leave gaps, weakening the overall impact of drowning prevention initiatives. She pointed out that a national drowning prevention strategy is essential as it serves as a comprehensive plan to coordinate the different sectors, departments, and organizations involved in the fight against drowning.

“A national strategy helps to identify risk factors, understand the specific situation of drowning in a country, and address those factors in a coordinated manner,” Ms. Lukaszyk explained. The lack of a coherent approach to drowning prevention means that the problem is not being tackled in a unified way, with crucial actors failing to work together towards a common goal. “Without a cohesive strategy, we see efforts that are scattered, sporadic, and often fail to make a substantial impact,” she added.

The WHO and Bloomberg Philanthropies report emphasizes that national strategies should ideally be backed by government funding to ensure large-scale, sustainable impact. The report advocates for a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach that involves the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Interior, and other key stakeholders in addressing the issue. This comprehensive framework, according to Etienne, is vital for ensuring a sustainable and effective approach to drowning prevention.

Contributing to the discussion, the Director of the Department for Social Determinants of Health at WHO, Dr Etienne Krug further elaborated on the challenges faced by African governments in implementing effective drowning prevention strategies. He noted that in many countries, it is often unclear who is responsible for tackling drowning prevention due to the involvement of multiple ministries. This lack of clarity on responsibilities according to him often leads to inaction, as no single entity is held accountable. “When no one is in charge, nothing happens,” Dr. Krug revealed.

In her remarks a member of the Public Health Team at Blommberg Philanthropies, Rebecca Bavinger also provided a broader context in which drowning prevention exists in Sub-Saharan Africa, where there are numerous competing health priorities such as sanitation, HIV/AIDS, and maternal health. For many governments, she pointed out the risk of drowning may not be top of mind when discussing public health, and this neglect contributes to the underfunding of drowning prevention efforts.

She said Bloomberg Philanthropies, recognizing this gap, has made significant efforts to bring the issue of drowning to the forefront of public health discussions in Africa.

“So, trying to get drowning on the agenda is not often on people’s minds when they’re talking about improving public health in these countries. So we’re trying to bring it into light. And with data, this is the first ever status report,” she stated.

By providing data and insight into the scale of the problem, the WHO/Bloomberg report aims to elevate drowning prevention on the public health agenda in African countries. The report also shows how drowning prevention strategies are closely linked to broader sustainable development goals, including water safety, health infrastructure, and education.

By Nana Appiah Acquaye/Geneva.