An 8-year-old child was hospitalized after being bitten by a shark on a Florida beach on the Fourth of July, WFTV reports.
The unidentified boy was visiting the Ponce Inlet beaches in Volusia County when he was bitten in the right leg while in waist deep water by a shark believed to be around two to three feet long. After being treated at the scene, the child, who is said to be from Miami, was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
According to People, the Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue reports an average of eight to 10 shark bites occurs every year. These incidents tend to lead to non-life-threatening injuries. A report by the International Shark Attack File indicates that 2020 was “an unusually deadly year,” with 10 people around the world killed by sharks in unprovoked attacks. Three of these deaths were in the United States.
The 2020 death toll is the highest since 2013. In 2019, there were only two, and four the previous year. Despite the unusually high number, the odds of being killed by a shark in the United States is just over 3.7 million to 1. The ISAF reports that people in the U.S. are more likely to be killed by bees, wasps, dogs, and snakes each year than sharks.
People reports that there hasn’t been a fatal shark attack reported in the United States in 2021.
