The San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency’s Public Health Services staff issued a health advisory for those who will be enjoying recreational swimming or other water activities as summer nears.
They offered several tips to avoid accidental or near-drowning incidents this summer using a “layers of protection” approach.
The tips include:
• Never leave a child alone near water, even for a few seconds
• A supervising adult should be close enough to touch the child under 4 years old near water
• Keep a constant adult eye on young children
• All collections of water are dangerous for infants and toddlers including bathtubs, buckets, toilets, ponds, spas, swimming pools, and natural water sites
• Swimming pools should have fences, alarms, and drains that meet
regulations
• Pool gates should be self-latching, opening outward, with the latch out-of-reach for a child
• Keep reaching and throwing aids near a swimming pool
• All children should wear a personal floatation device while playing near bodies of water
• Parents and child caregivers should know how to perform rescue techniques and strategies to respond in an emergency
• If a child is missing, check the pool first
In 2011, 58 children from birth to 5 years of age drowned in California. An average of 52 children are disabled each year as a result of near-drowning accidents. Some of the disabilities include central nervous system damage, loss of memory, seizures, learning disabilities, paralysis, and sometimes comas.
