Drowning risk for children
Although four out of five children aged up to 7 years claim to be good swimmers, one in four admit to having been in danger at some point while swimming in the sea, according to the results of a survey released yesterday by the National Statistics Service (NSS) on drowning accidents in Greece. Every year, 20 children aged under 14 and another 15 aged 15-19 drown in Greece, the NSS said. For every one of these deaths, another six are hospitalized and eight released after first aid, while many more are treated on location. The number of people aged up to 24 who drown is double that of those who die due to acts of violence. According to Eleni Petridou, of the Children’s Accident Prevention and Research Center, of the 5,704 drownings in Greece betweeen 1980 and 1999, 666 were children and teenagers; 67 percent occur in the sea and 25 percent in swimming pools. The most vulnerable group are boys aged 15-19, as they are more likely to take risks and engage in sea sports, possibly after having consumed alcohol.
