An estimated 236,000 lives are lost globally due to drowning every year - almost 650 every day, 26 every hour. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021, Regional Status Report on Drowning in South-East Asia, there were 48,774 deaths in India alone, 30% of which occurred in children under the age of 15.

The Sundarbans, West Bengal is one of the largest active delta regions in the world and is home to one of the world’s most underserved populations. It also has the highest reported global drowning mortality rate in the world. A key highlight of The George Institute’s work in India has been galvanising communities at the centre of drowning risk mitigation in the Sundarbans. A 2020 community-based survey conducted by The George Institute in collaboration with the Child in Need Institute (CINI) in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal, India, reported that there are nearly 3 drowning deaths among 1-9 year old children each day. 

To mark this World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25th, we globally present a deep dive episode under our The Scan Podcast Series, Dr Jagnoor Jagnoor discusses the table of influence in drowning prevention with global experts. Drowning is an issue that affects every nation in the world, and its scale and impact have been recognised at the global level with the adoption of a UN’s historic resolution to address it in 2021.  In this conversation, the speakers draw on their experiences of drowning prevention in India, Africa, and the UK to consider how best to strengthen regional actions such that it is inclusive, responsive to lived experience, and context specific. We can all act together to end drowning.

Emphasising towards “owning” the problem that persist; our experts reflect on the need to reach the root causes of the problem that can help identify core solutions around drowning prevention. Drowning is multi-sectorial; the better way to eradicate the issue is by reaching the ground levels and the factors associated with it. It starts with prioritising equity and inclusion to safeguard communities globally against the silent epidemic of drowning.

"Swimming isn’t just a sport, it’s a vital life-saving skill and drowning prevention tool that can save lives. One that a large percentage of people in Black and Asian communities are missing. Anyone can drown but no one should have to. All communities should receive equitable access to vital water safety education. Not all communities are starting from the same point. When talking about inclusion, we must think about equitable access." - Danielle Obe, Chair of The Black Swimming Association (BSA)

“Research conducted in the field gives us a lot of insight into what is actually happening there. Because sitting at the central or state level, you cannot really know what is happening at the ground level. So researchers feed into the system important, valuable messages” - Dr Tanu Jain, Deputy Director General, Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Health and Family, Government of India

What is a UN’s historic Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention?

On 28th April 2021, the United Nations adopted a historic Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention, calling on countries around the world to recognise and take action to prevent hundreds of thousands of drowning deaths each year. The Resolution was proposed by the Governments of Bangladesh and Ireland, and co-sponsored by 79 countries, including Australia and India.

The Resolution encourages countries to develop national drowning prevention plans and programming, in line with interventions recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), and to ensure enactment and enforcement of water safety laws. Other actions include the promotion of public awareness and behaviour change campaigns; research and development innovative drowning prevention tools and technology; and capacity-building through international cooperation.

“We need to run where others are walking. We have to be able to very quickly get the resources that we need to generate the evidence around the issue but also start intervening in those areas where we have enough information to begin to intervene.” - Dr Olive Kobusingye, Director of the Trauma, Injuries and Disability programme, Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala; Distinguished Fellow, The George Institute for Global Health

“In the global health research, we often talk about equity from a low-middle-income country perspective, but we hardly ever look above the gradient of inequity within our communities in a high-income country context.” -  Dr Jagnoor Jagnoor, Co -Director WHO Collaborating Centre on Injury Prevention and Trauma Care and Head, Injury, The George Institute, India

Prof Alta Schutte has won the 2022 Harriet Dustan Award presented by the American Heart Association’s Council on Hypertension. The renowned award and lecture recognise female investigators who have made outstanding contributions in the field of hypertension.

A Professorial Fellow in the Cardiovascular Division at The George Institute, Prof Schutte is Principal Theme Lead of Cardiac, Vascular and Metabolic Medicine at UNSW Medicine & Health.

She was nominated for the award by Prof Rhian Touyz, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Hypertension and Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Canada.

“It’s a huge honour. I’m grateful to be selected among some brilliant women scientists round the world contributing to the important field of hypertension – the leading cause of death worldwide,” Prof Schutte said.

Prof Schutte has established herself as a leading researcher and advocate on reducing blood pressure globally. She has served as President of the International Society of Hypertension and is part of several international partnerships including the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration and Global Burden of Disease study. She also sits on the Steering Committee of the May Measurement Month blood pressure awareness campaign of the International Society of Hypertension.

She has extensive experience in population-based studies with a focus on raised blood pressure and cardiovascular disease and has made significant contributions to raising awareness for global action on raised blood pressure, including publishing over 400 papers and book chapters.

Prof Schutte has played a major role advancing hypertension research in low- and middle-income countries, winning several accolades including the Africa Union Award of Excellence 2019 and the South African Ministerial Award as the Distinguished Senior Woman Scientist.

As invited author of the Lancet Commission on Hypertension in 2016, she played a major role in highlighting Africa’s enormous rise in hypertension coupled with low awareness rates. This informed their key message that “every adult should know their blood pressure”. The Commission’s paper had major impact, with recommendations adopted by policies on four continents, the Copenhagen Consensus and the WHO.

“Recently I recognised that blood pressure control rates in Australia are surprisingly low compared to other countries. This is why I am directing my energy towards establishing a National Hypertension Taskforce, working with the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance and the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia. This Taskforce would convene national expertise from multiple disciplines and sectors to chart a roadmap to improving blood pressure awareness and control in the country,” she says, elaborating on her current work.

Prof Schutte will receive the award at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension 2022 Scientific Sessions in California in the US in September 2022.