Drowning Rates in the Newly Independent States & Russian Federation: A Call for Research and Action

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide after road traffic injury deaths, claiming approximately 450,000 lives every year. Overall male drowning rates in the Newly Independent States and Russian Federation are dramatically higher than the rates in Western European countries; the highest male drowning rate in WHO Euro region, drowning rate in Belarus, is 50 times higher than the lowest, the drowning rate in the United Kingdom. 1-4 age group male drowning rate in Turkmenistan is alarmingly high. More research is needed to determine the risk factors of child and adult drowning in each of the Newly Independent States and Russian Federation.