At the beginning of the summer, Public Health France (SpF) was worried about a high number of drownings that had occurred between June and July (300 including 79 deaths), an assessment that could have been worsened according to her by the post-containment release ( poor physical condition, weight gain ..).

In the end, over a longer period, from June 1 to August 8, SpF listed 700 “documented” accidental drownings, including 168 followed by deaths, according to the preliminary results of its “Drowning” survey carried out every three years, including figures were released on Thursday.


Compared to the same period in 2018, these accidents are down 22% (889 drownings including 198 fatalities).

Conditions less conducive to swimming

This decrease "could be linked to climatic conditions much less favorable for swimming", explains the health agency in a press release.

"There is a notable drop in the first half of July and the very first days of August," a period when the weather was particularly gloomy, Aymeric Ung, head of the investigation, told AFP.

In 2018, "the climatic conditions had been ideal almost all summer, with a period of heat wave between late July and early August", more conducive to swimming, he adds.

But the summer of 2021 is not over and the risk will increase with the strong heat that is announced in part of France, warns the epidemiologist.

Accidents mostly occurring at sea, within the 300-meter band

He points out that the number of drownings of young children (17), mainly in private swimming pools, is identical to 2018 over the same period.

But these tragedies are "perfectly avoidable", insists the expert.

Most of the accidents (293) took place at sea - in the 300-meter band - between June and early August.

Next are private swimming pools (133), watercourses such as rivers and streams (88), lake-type water bodies (82), collective swimming pools (63), the sea beyond 300 meters (26 ) and 15 in basins and bathtubs.

57% of deaths aged 45 and over

57% of deaths occurred in people aged 45 and over.

And unlike 2018, deaths in rivers and bodies of water "did not only concern adults, but also children and adolescents", according to SpF.

Since 2006, these surveys have recorded all drownings, accidental and intentional (suicide or homicide), supported by the emergency services.

In 2019 and 2020, figures on emergency drowning visits had been published, but they did not specify the circumstances, and are not comparable.

The 2021 survey runs until September 30.

A new point will be published at the beginning of the month.

Society

The number of drownings stable in France at the start of summer 2021

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