Around 372,000 people drown each year, mostly children in low-income countries. So why has there been such a lack of attention paid to the problem? In journalism parlance, any story which includes the phrase ‘kids will die’ is a front-page splash. But when it comes to the war-weary public health sector, it barely causes a...

735 people drowned in Australian rivers, creeks and streams between 2002 and 2012. Rivers claimed more lives than any other aquatic location across the same period.

This paper examines the deaths of children in rural drowning incidents and the need to develop specific drowning prevention strategies for the unique environments of rural areas. Drowning prevention strategies need to address the geographical and social barriers of rural life, while maintaining a balance between minimising the risks and keeping the things that make...

During December 2010 and January 2011, Queensland was devastated by a series of natural disasters, with 78% of the state being declared a disaster zone. During this period, six children and young people died in association with floodwaters. Of those, four were in vehicles that entered floodwaters. This two-page paper examines this danger.