Health
Water safety tips from experts for families and caregivers as drowning deaths increase
As summer gets underway, a recent report sheds light on the importance of swimming and water safety strategies.
Each year, some 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths occur in the U.S., with the highest rates among children between 1 and 4 years of age, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Drowning is the leading cause of death among children age 4 and under, and it is one of the three leading causes of death due to unintentional injury among those aged 5 to 34, the report said.
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“With drownings on the rise across the U.S., especially among young children, it is more critical than ever to ensure that water safety is always top of mind,” Megan Ferraro, executive director of The ZAC Foundation.
It’s a Connecticut-based organization that develops educational programming and resources for swimmers of all ages and abilities, she wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.
Each year, some 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths occur in the U.S., with the highest rates among children between 1 and 4 years of age. (iStock)
The number of unintentional drowning deaths has risen in the years since the COVID pandemic, the report revealed.
Between 2020 and 2022, the increased drowning rates may have been caused by infrastructure disruptions, limited access to supervised swimming venues, and individuals spending more time in or near water, said the CDC.
BEACH SAFETY TIPS: WHAT TO DO IN A RIP CURRENT AND HOW TO STAY SAFE NEAR THE WATER
Despite these risks, more than half of U.S. adults have never taken a swimming lesson.
Heading into the thick of beach and pool season, several swim and water officials shared these eight water safety measures to prevent tragic drownings.
1. Choose swimsuit colors carefully
Some swim instructors suggest dressing children in bright-colored bathing suits and avoiding colors that blend with the surrounding water.
Some swim instructors suggest dressing children in bright-colored bathing suits and avoiding colors that blend with the surrounding water. (iStock)
Nikki Scarnati, a certified infant swimming resource instructor in Florida, used her TikTok platform to warn parents to avoid buying blue or pastel-colored bathing suits, which can make it difficult to spot children in the water.
In her 2023 social media post, she demonstrated how it was easier to see bright colors, such as red, in splashing water.
2. Don’t skip the swim lessons
Water safety instructors recommend enrolling children at an early age in swim lessons through local organizations.
“Studies have shown that swim lessons reduce childhood drowning by 88%,” Ferraro noted.
Many organizations, like the American Red Cross, offer swim classes to help individuals become more comfortable in the water and learn to become stronger, safer swimmers.
“Studies have shown that swim lessons reduce childhood drowning by 88%.”
Experts also suggest taking added precautions, such as installing alarms and gates, to prevent children from wandering into pool areas unsupervised.
3. Be aware of high-risk children
“Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children with autism,” Lindsay Naeder, the Philadelphia-based vice president of community impact for Autism Speaks, told Fox News Digital.
Water safety instructors recommend enrolling children at an early age in swim lessons through local organizations. (iStock)
Naeder emphasized the importance of educating beach and pool lifeguards about how to recognize signs of distress in swimmers with autism.
“You can work with lifeguards to understand the different behaviors of autism and how to best communicate with an autistic individual, especially during an unsafe situation,” Naeder said via email to Fox News Digital.
4. Install safeguards for older swimmers
When caring for adults with dementia, installing gates and pool alarms can prevent dangerous situations in the event that the individual gets confused and wanders, some experts told Fox News Digital.
“Caregivers of elderly adults with dementia need to identify potentially dangerous areas near their homes, such as pools and all bodies of water,” Ferraro told Fox News Digital.
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She recommended choosing an alarm that beeps if a door to the pool is opened or if the surface of the water is disrupted by movement.
“Make sure a senior with dementia never swims alone,” she added. “A swim buddy or guardian should always be close by.”
5. Know the ABCDEs
Parents and caregivers must use multiple layers of protection when it comes to keeping families safe in and around water, Ferraro told Fox News Digital.
Installing locking fences and other barriers around water is an essential component of pool safety, experts say. (iStock)
“This means following the ABCDEs of water safety: A is for Adult supervision, B is for Barriers around water, C is for swim Classes, D is for avoiding Drain entrapment and using Devices such as Coast Guard-approved lifejackets, and E is for Everywhere — because water is all around us,” she said.
6. Remain vigilant while in large groups
As pool party season gets underway, it is important to remain vigilant.
“In large groups, like a pool party, everyone assumes someone else is watching the children in the pool — this is known as the diffusion of responsibility,” Ferraro warned.
“Don’t ever assume someone else is watching your kids around the water.”
“Don’t ever assume someone else is watching your kids around the water, because this can have deadly consequences.”
Parents should ensure that children are swimming in lifeguard-designated areas — and it is important to provide close, constant supervision even if lifeguards are present, Ferraro noted.
Parents should ensure that children are swimming in lifeguard-designated areas, and it is important to provide close, constant supervision even if lifeguards are present. (iStock)
“Designate an adult ‘water watcher’ whose sole responsibility is to keep a watchful eye on those in the water at all times,” she recommended.
“Never leave a child unattended in or near the water, not even for a second. Make sure children are within arm’s length of an adult at all times when at the pool or beach.”
7. Ensure pets’ safety
It is also important to protect your pets’ safety in the water, noted Ferrara with The ZAC Foundation.
“Always keep your eyes on your pet around water, and never leave them unattended,” she said. “Be aware that not all dog breeds are natural swimmers.”
8. Be mindful of water differences
Swimming in open water is different from swimming in a pool, experts warn.
“If you swim well in a backyard pool, that does not mean you can swim well in the ocean,” George Gorman Jr., regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, told Fox News Digital.
Swimming in open water is different from swimming in a pool, experts warn. (iStock)
“You need to stay close to shore, and gain experience.”
Gorman, who oversees many of the ocean areas along the shores of Long Island, New York, also warned people to be mindful of rip currents that may occur in ocean waters.
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“If you are caught in a rip current, do not fight against it,” he advised. “Instead, swim parallel to the shore until you notice the current diminishing and you are out of it.”
He also recommended swimming with a buddy, and maintaining a distance of around 25 feet if a rip current is encountered.
A lifeguard looks out at people swimming in the Atlantic Ocean on a beach at the Jersey Shore on June 27, 2020, in Middletown, New Jersey. An expert warned people to be mindful of rip currents that may occur in ocean waters. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
“This way, your buddy has time to react and escape to get help.”
To avoid an unwelcome encounter with certain marine life, such as sharks, Gorman said to avoid murky water and to look for signs that a larger fish may be in the vicinity.
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“If you see splashing fish or diving seabirds, that usually means there are smaller fish in that area — therefore, larger fish may be headed there to feed on those smaller fish,” Gorman said.
It’s also wise to avoid areas where larger fish, such as seals or dolphins, have been spotted.
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A child in California is presumed to have H5N1 bird flu, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH).
As of Dec. 23, there had been 36 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the state, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
This represents more than half of the human cases in the country.
LOUISIANA REPORTS FIRST BIRD FLU-RELATED HUMAN DEATH IN US
The latest pediatric patient, who lives in San Francisco, experienced fever and conjunctivitis (pink eye) as a result of the infection.
The unnamed patient was not hospitalized and has fully recovered, according to the SFDPH.
A child in California is presumed to have H5N1 bird flu, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. (iStock)
The child tested positive for bird flu at the SFDPH Public Health Laboratory. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will perform additional tests to confirm the result.
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It is not yet known how the child was exposed to the virus and an investigation is ongoing.
“I want to assure everyone in our city that the risk to the general public is low, and there is no current evidence that the virus can be transmitted between people,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of health, in the press release.
BIRD FLU PATIENT HAD VIRUS MUTATIONS, SPARKING CONCERN ABOUT HUMAN SPREAD
“We will continue to investigate this presumptive case, and I am urging all San Franciscans to avoid direct contact with sick or dead birds, especially wild birds and poultry. Also, please avoid unpasteurized dairy products.”
Samuel Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, is calling for “decisive action” to protect individuals who may be in contact with infected livestock and also to alert the public about the risks associated with wild birds and infected backyard flocks.
An infectious diseases expert called for “decisive action” to alert the public about the risks associated with wild birds and infected backyard flocks. (iStock)
“While I agree that the risk to the broader public remains low, we continue to see signs of escalating risk associated with this outbreak,” he told Fox News Digital.
Experts have warned that the possibility of mutations in the virus could enable person-to-person transmission.
“While the H5N1 virus is currently thought to only transmit from animals to humans, multiple mutations that can enhance human-to-human transmission have been observed in the severely sick American,” Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, told Fox News Digital.
As of Jan. 10, there have been a total of 707 infected cattle in California, per reports from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. (iStock)
“This highlights the requirement for vigilance and preparation in the event that additional mutations create a human-transmissible pandemic strain.”
As of Jan. 10, there have been a total of 707 infected cattle in California, per reports from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
In the last 30 days alone, the virus has been confirmed in 84 dairy farms in the state.
“In the beginning, everyone thought they were going to find this one breakthrough pain drug that would replace opioids,” Gereau said. Increasingly, though, it’s looking like chronic pain, like cancer, could end up having a range of genetic and cellular drivers that vary both by condition and by the particular makeup of the person experiencing it. “What we’re learning is that pain is not just one thing,” Gereau added. “It’s a thousand different things, all called ‘pain.’”
For patients, too, the landscape of chronic pain is wildly varied. Some people endure a miserable year of low-back pain, only to have it vanish for no clear reason. Others aren’t so lucky. A friend of a friend spent five years with extreme pain in his arm and face after roughhousing with his son. He had to stop working, couldn’t drive, couldn’t even ride in a car without a neck brace. His doctors prescribed endless medications: the maximum dose of gabapentin, plus duloxetine and others. At one point, he admitted himself to a psychiatric ward, because his pain was so bad that he’d become suicidal. There, he met other people who also became suicidal after years of living with terrible pain day in and day out.
The thing that makes chronic pain so awful is that it’s chronic: a grinding distress that never ends. For those with extreme pain, that’s easy to understand. But even less severe cases can be miserable. A pain rating of 3 or 4 out of 10 sounds mild, but having it almost all the time is grueling — and limiting. Unlike a broken arm, which gets better, or tendinitis, which hurts mostly in response to overuse, chronic pain makes your whole world shrink. It’s harder to work, and to exercise, and even to do the many smaller things that make life rewarding and rich.
It’s also lonely. When my arms first went crazy, I could barely function. But even after the worst had passed, I saw friends rarely; I still couldn’t drive more than a few minutes, or sit comfortably in a chair, and I felt guilty inviting people over when there wasn’t anything to do. As Christin Veasley, director and co-founder of the Chronic Pain Research Alliance, puts it: “With acute pain, medications, if you take them, they get you over a hump, and you go on your way. What people don’t realize is that when you have chronic pain, even if you’re also taking meds, you rarely feel like you were before. At best, they can reduce your pain, but usually don’t eliminate it.”
A cruel Catch-22 around chronic pain is that it often leads to anxiety and depression, both of which can make pain worse. That’s partly because focusing on a thing can reinforce it, but also because emotional states have physical effects. Both anxiety and depression are known to increase inflammation, which can also worsen pain. As a result, pain management often includes cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation practice or other coping skills. But while those tools are vital, it’s notoriously hard to reprogram our reactions. Our minds and bodies have evolved both to anticipate pain and to remember it, making it hard not to worry. And because chronic pain is so uncomfortable and isolating, it’s also depressing.
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