May 24, 2024 – If you follow the Farmer's Almanac, you realize that the United States is in for one more season of above-average summer temperatures. And what higher approach to cool off than by jumping right into a pool, diving right into a quarry or lake, or going browsing?
The attraction of water is a double-edged sword. According to the CDC more than 4,000 In the United States, people die from accidental drowning yearly, a median of 11 people per day. The problem is especially serious amongst children between the ages of 1 and 4, for whom drowning is the leading reason for death. In this group alone, the variety of deaths from accidental drowning increased by 28% from 2019 to 2022. There was also a big increase in drowning deaths amongst Native Americans and Alaska Natives, people aged 65 and over, and blacks and Hispanics.
“There is a huge misconception in this country about what drowning is and what safety measures exist,” said Dr. Adam Katchmarchi, CEO of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. “Parents don't know the correct information about drowning, how it happens and how to prevent it.”
A silent killer
Most people know drowning people from movies – arms flailing within the air, screaming for help. In reality, nevertheless, drowning people can now not maintain themselves. They suffocate because they've breathed water into their lungs. And though their head is near the surface of the water, they can't come to the surface to get air.
“When I lecture, I tell everyone to exhale all the air from their lungs and try to scream for help; that's what a drowning victim experiences,” said Katchmarchi, who can be an assistant professor within the Department of Kinesiology, Health and Exercise Sciences at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, PA.
Therefore, he explains to oldsters that drowning happens silently and is just not easy to detect.
Marla C. Levine, MD, an emergency physician and director of point-of-care ultrasound at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, has seen many near-fatal and drowning children.
“It's a time-limited event,” she said. “It's hard to say exactly when the child was submerged and may not have been getting enough oxygen. How much water is in the child's lungs,” she said. A bystander will be the one to manage rescue breaths, get the kid respiratory again and potentially save his life.
Laura Metro recalled the day her then-three-year-old son Clay visited a public pool in her father's neighborhood in Bethany Beach, DE. As with many private pools, there was no lifeguard on duty, but Clay wasn't swimming on the time.
He fell in after tripping over his towel on the deep end of the pool. Although Metro and her husband weren't there on the time, their friends were, and it was a 4-year-old who alerted her father that Clay was at the underside of the pool. A passerby and family friend who immediately began providing ventilation was in a position to prevent Clay's death on the scene until paramedics arrived and took him to a close-by children's hospital, where he survived after a two-day coma.
Six-year-old Cati DelaPeňa from Austin, Texas, was not so lucky.
“We thought we asked all the right questions — like whether we needed to bring a life jacket — when we dropped her off at day camp. We told the program director that Cati couldn't swim,” said Cati's mother, Kori DelaPeňa. Although her parents were assured that Cati would stay within the shallow a part of the pool, wear a life jacket, and be supervised by counselors, she drowned. Kori and her husband, John, later learned that the pool was overcrowded, no life jackets were provided, and the advisors weren't trained in water safety.
“The state of Texas requires all kinds of training for staff who care for children – shaking syndrome, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, all kinds of training.” But training on stopping the leading reason for death amongst children is totally lacking, DelaPeňa said.
Five steps to prevention
Since Cati's drowning, and due to Kori and John's tireless efforts, the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring organizations to supply life jackets to children of their care who cannot swim and to be sure that they wear them when near water. These efforts complement the work the DelaPeňas do with their nonprofit. christine_schoenwhich offers life jackets and water safety training.
At national level, a comprehensive US National Action Plan on Water Security — whose goal is to cut back drowning deaths with contributions from local, county and state governments — is within the works. The plan will address disparities in drowning rates amongst ethnic and racial groups, amongst children with neurological disorders and amongst older adults with medical conditions, and make swimming lessons more cost-effective for these groups.
The alarming rise in drowning deaths underscores the necessity for immediate motion, especially now that summer is upon us. “There is nothing parents can do to completely eliminate the risk of drowning for their children or themselves,” Katchmarchi said.
However, you possibly can take steps to cut back the danger:
- Make sure backyard pools are surrounded by an isolation fence on all sides that completely separates the pool from the home and prevents unauthorized access. Pool covers, locked entrances and alarm systems are also advisable. “People don't understand that 70% of young children drown if they don't swim,” Katchmarchi said. “I've seen cases where children have managed to open the front doors and then become victims of horrific drowning accidents,” Levine said.
- Provide close, constant and attentive supervisioneven when the swimmers are adults. “It is the responsibility of all parents to keep a close eye on their children near water sources, regardless of the child's age, swimming ability, and whether it is in a lake or at home,” Levine said.
- Learn competence and safety in coping with water. Swimming competency means having the ability to enter the water completely submerged and surface for one minute, swim or tread water, swim 25 feet (7.5 meters), and exit the water and not using a ladder. Formal swimming lessons can reduce the danger of drowning in young children by 88%, in line with the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. And the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends Children can begin swimming lessons as early as one 12 months old once they are developmentally ready. Adults are encouraged to take beginner swim lessons (check along with your local YMCA, YWCA or county pool) or refresher courses. Many organizations also offer scholarships that cover the fee of lessons.
- Use life jackets which can be tested and approved by the U.S. Coast Guard when you find yourself in or near water or when boating. However, do not forget that life jackets should not an alternative to swimming skills.
- Know when to call for helpand make certain you realize the physical address of your location. Keep your mobile phone ready and charged as emergencies can occur at any time.
It often happens when parents or friends are having fun and look away when someone is drowning. “Those are the moments when something happens,” Levine said. “You can't get that moment back.”