Citation

Hon KL, Leung KKY, Wong JCP. Hong Kong Med. J. 2020; 26(6): 540-542.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and the Hong Kong Medical Association)

DOI

10.12809/hkmj198129

PMID

33350971

Abstract

Submersion injury (SI) is one of the three most common causes of childhood accidental fatalities worldwide, accounting for approximately 28% of them.1 According to the World Health Organization's World Report on Child Injury Prevention, the rate of SI fatalities among children is 7.2 deaths per 100 000 population worldwide, and 1.2 per 100 000 population in high-income countries.1 As per the Childhood Injuries and Injury Surveillance in Hong Kong, there were 43 fatalities due to accidental SI among those aged <19 years from 2001 to 2009, which is 7% of all deaths of external cause for that age-group.2 In Hong Kong, SI is uncommon, with a low death rate of 0.34 per 100 000 population.2 According to the Leisure and Culture Service Department's 2016 to 2018 special incidents statistics, there has been a decline in the number of incidents of rescue and SI in public swimming pools and beaches in Hong Kong.3 In 2018, there were only four deaths due to SI in public swimming pools and beaches.3 The authors, having managed two cases of SI in July 2019, would like to raise awareness of paediatric SI in Hong Kong and potential public health implications...

Keywords: Drowning; Drowning Prevention; Water Safety

Language: en