The article introduced a new definition of “drowning” (1). Most of the time we intuitively know what drowning is until someone asks us explicitly to define it. In scientific research, meaningful definitions are essential for comparability and reproducibility. Drowning has been listed as the second leading cause of death from unintentional injury in WHO reports, after road traffic accidents (2). Many questions can be asked as to whether this is really the case in various countries, whether the data are comparable across cultures, and what can be done about it. Surely such a frequent event, with its serious consequences of death and disability, requires widespread public health attention, especially as drowning can be prevented by simple measures.
