COUNTYWIDE : Officials Cite Ways to Prevent Drowning

County public health officer L. Rex Ehling is warning parents and others supervising young children to be alert to the risk of drowning that warm weather brings and take precautions to prevent accidents.

“Drowning is the leading cause of death for Orange County children between 1 and 4 years of age, and each year between 70-to-100 children (here) experience near-drowning incidents,” Dr. Ehling said.

“The tragic loss of a child or the anguish over a brain-injured child are compounded by the realization that both situations could have been prevented,” Ehling said.

About 80% of water-related injuries among 1- to 4-year-old children involve a swimming pool or spa, usually in the child’s own back yard, the pediatrician said.

“A parent may not realize that their child is able to open the back door or even a sliding glass door,” Ehling said. “Even the most conscientious parent can be distracted by a telephone call, the doorbell, a pot boiling over on the stove. Frequently, children who drown were last seen in the house.”

Though no single strategy can prevent a drowning, layers of protection can help prevent such a deadly accident. Dr. Hildy Meyers, an injury and disease epidemiologist for the county, offered these suggestions:

* Vigilant adult supervision, especially when several children or groups of people are present.

* A barrier between the house and swimming pool and/or spa.

* Child-proof latches above reach of children on doors and gates leading to the pool or spa.

* Knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by supervising adults and children 14 years of age and older.

* A telephone by the pool.

* A shepherd’s hook kept by the pool area.

* Maintenance of pool and spa so water is clear.

* Storage of pool toys away from the pool when it is not in use so small children will not be attracted to them.

“Compared to the amount of grief produced when a child drowns or is involved in a near-drowning incident, the value of these precautionary measures is incalculable,” Ehling said.