Drowning Is the Leading Cause of Death for Children Ages 1 to 4: Swim Lessons Help, but Supervision and Four-Sided Fences Decide
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. Drowning happens in seconds and is often silent, and it can happen anywhere there is access to water, including smaller bodies of water such as bathtubs and water-filled buckets, not just pools and lakes.
Swimming lessons can reduce the risk, and CDC encourages lessons for children and for adults themselves, but one sentence cannot be skipped: children who have had lessons still need close and constant supervision in or around water, even when a lifeguard is present, with an adult always within arm's length. The supervising adult should avoid reading, phone use, alcohol and drugs, because drowning happens quickly and quietly.
Home pools need a four-sided fence at least four feet high that fully encloses the pool and separates it from the house, with a self-closing, self-latching gate, and toys that might attract a child removed when the pool is not in use. CDC warns that floaties, arm bands and water wings do not prevent drowning and can slip off, creating a false sense of safety; a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket is more protective.
The cost shows in the numbers: for every child under 18 who dies from drowning, another 7 receive emergency department care for nonfatal drowning, and nearly 40 percent of drownings treated in emergency departments require a hospital stay or transfer, three times the rate for other unintentional injuries. About 40 percent of drowning deaths among children ages 5 to 14 occur in natural water, where children and adults alike are best protected by well-fitted, fully fastened Coast Guard-approved life jackets. (Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：一位母亲陪孩子上游泳课。美国疾病控制与预防中心图片。 / Photo: A mother helps her child during a swim lesson. Image from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
