According to recent data, child drowning deaths have increased in the United States, with the majority of cases involving children under the age of 5. The American Academy of Pediatrics is sounding the alarm, emphasizing the importance of quick rescue and resuscitation in preventing lifelong disability or death.

Causes of Increased Drowning Deaths

The COVID-19 pandemic has been cited as a contributing factor, with interrupted swimming lessons and lifeguard training programs leading to a national lifeguard shortage. Additionally, increases in swimming pool construction and unsupervised swimming have also been linked to the rise in child drowning deaths.

Experts stress that drowning can occur in a matter of seconds, and that constant supervision and proper safety measures are crucial in preventing such tragedies. The Stew Leonard’s grocery chain, which has a foundation dedicated to water safety, has funded over 250,000 swimming lessons for children and opened two swimming schools to promote drowning prevention.

Prevention Measures

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends policies such as lifeguard standards, life jacket regulations, and requirements for swimming pools to be completely surrounded by fences with self-closing, self-latching gates. Additionally, swimming lessons for young children and complete focus by caregivers when children are around water are also essential in preventing drowning deaths.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.