Medico legal aspects of drowning

Abstract

Drowning is a major, but often neglected, public health problem. Drowning is the second leading cause of death from unintentional injuries, after rode traffic injuries. According to the world health organization, 0.7% of all deaths worldwide (>500,000 deaths) each year are due to unintentional drowning. The south Asian countries have higher deaths rates by drowning compared to the world average. Among drowning survivors, approximately 69% have complete neurological recovery, 28% suffer some selective deficit, and 3%survive in a permanent vegetative state.In India, very little is known about the epidemiology of drowning. Low- and middle-income countries are the most affected, accounting for 91% of unintentional drowning deaths. There is almost no awarenessor protocols to prevent drowning