Sunday marks the first official World Drowning Prevention Day, which will now be held annually on July 25.
The global day was declared in April 2021 by the UN General Assembly.
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According to the World Health Organization, the day is meant to serve as an “opportunity to highlight the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer life-saving solutions to prevent it.”
The WHO reported that an estimated 236,000 people drown every year.
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Drowning ranked among the ten leading causes of death for those ages 1-24 years old.
WHO said 90 percent of drowning deaths occur in rivers, lakes, wells and domestic water storage vessels in low- and middle-income countries.
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