By Mohamed Foday Conteh
The Chairman of the Sierra Leone Life Saving Society, Patrick Olumide Campbell has told Politico that Sierra Leone has been rated as a country with the 4th highest death by drowning record in Africa.
Campbell said that drowning is prevalent in Sierra Leone and that it is preventable if the required measures are adhered to. He said that education on the prevention of drowning is important especially when the nation is recording heavy downpour during the rainy season.
Speaking at the 1st drowning conference in Freetown, he said the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared drowning as a disease and that the drowning death toll in the world is almost ‘two thirds of malnutrition’ and well ‘over half that of malaria’. He said the society is keen on educating people on this plight.
Campbell encouraged local fishermen to be cognizant of life saving equipment like life jacket and also other safety measures. “Most wharfs are unprotected,” he said. He said community communication is one key way to educate people about drowning.
Magdaline Nyandebo, through a presentation disclosed that ‘372,000 people die from drowning every year’ and that there are approximately ’42 drowning deaths’ every hour of the day. She added that drowning is one of the leading causes of death for people aged 1-24 years in every region of the world.
The society also believes that globally, over half of all drowning deaths are among those aged less than 25 with males twice likely to drown than females and that drowning rates in low and middle income countries are over three times higher than in high income countries. The use of alcohol around water is also an important risk factor for drowning in many countries, especially for adolescents and adults.
Speaking on the causes of drowning in Sierra Leone, the Chairman said that lack of physical barriers between people and water particularly close to home, lack of supervision of young children, lack of water safety awareness and risky behaviour around water like swimming alone and travelling in overcrowded or poorly maintained vessels among others are the major causes of drowning in the country. He said that these could be prevented by reduced exposure to water hazards through strategic use of barriers, improved swimming and water safety skills, and comprehensive boating regulations and enforcement to list a few.
One of the participants of the event, Issa Hamid Turay of the Salaimatu Bangura Mama Children’s Foundation said that he learned a lot from the event and vowed to pass on the knowledge to others. Anike Roqeebah Adeyemi, a pupil from the Annie Walsh Memorial School said that knowledge on swimming guidance and principle is limited in the country especially in the provinces. She also promised to pass on the knowledge acquired to her schoolmates.
Speaking at the event, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaima, said that the programme was educative and should therefore not be limited to the Western Area. He said such safety guidelines should also be taught at security training schools because most security personnel carry guns.
The programme was climaxed by a drama performance on skills of rescuing a drowning individual and adherence to swimming, fishing and other safety protocols.
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