NASHVILLE, July 14 (UPI) -- Two-thirds of all drowning deaths in the United States happen in the swim season; but almost all of them are preventable, a doctor says.
"A common misconception is that children under the age of 5 who have had some water safety training or beginner swim lessons are water-safe," says Dr. Tom Abramo, director of the Emergency Department at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.
"But what parents don't realize is that younger kids, even with water wings on or a float of some kind, can wear out and get into trouble in a matter of seconds because they are not strong enough to pull themselves out of the pool to safety and if a parent is reading a book, talking on the phone or otherwise not paying attention, those few seconds turn into tragedy."
The majority of children drown in in-ground or public pools, but the risk is rising for backyard, inflatable pools, according to Abramo.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 17 drowning deaths involving inflatable pools in 2005, up from nine in 2004 and 10 in 2003.
Abramo says to prevent drowning: have a phone located by the pool, swim with lifeguards on duty, rescue devices should be available, there should be lockable fences and gates and there should be pool alarms that go off when someone hits the water.
