Prevention
Despite the emphasis on immediate treatment, the definitive therapy for drowning is prevention. Prevention remains the most powerful therapeutic intervention and can be effective in more than 85% of drownings.
- Watch children carefully, 84% of drownings occur because of bad adult supervision. The majority in or after lunch hour.
- Begin swimming lessons from 2 years old but be very careful at this time.
- Avoid inflatable swimming aids such as “floaties” They can give a false sense of security.
- Use lifejacket!
- Never try to help rescue someone without able to do it. Many people died trying to do so.
- Avoid drinking alcohol and heaving lunch before swimming.
- Don’t dive in shallow water – cervical spine injury could happen.
BEACHES
- Always swim in a lifeguard-supervised area.
- Ask the lifeguard for safe places to swim or play.
- Read and follow warning signs posted on the beach.
- Do not overestimate your swimming capability – 46.6% of drowning victims thought they knew how to swim.
- Swim away from piers, rocks and stakes.
- Take lost children to the nearest lifeguard tower.
- Over 80% of drowning occurs in rip currents (the rip is usually the most falsely calm deeply place between two sand bars). If caught in a rip, swim transversally to the sand bar or let it take you away without fighting and wave for help.
- If you are fishing on rocks be cautions about waves that may sweep you into the ocean.
- Keep away from marine animals.
POOLS AND SIMILAR
- Over 65% of deaths occur in fresh water, even on the coast.
- Fence off your pool and include a gate.
- Recommended fencing approved can decrease drowning by 50 a 70%.
- Avoid toys around the pool, is very attractive to children.
- Whenever infants or toddlers are in or around water, be within arm’s length, providing “touch supervision”.
- Turn off motor filters when using the pool.Always use portable phones in pool areas, so you are not called away to answer.
- Don’t try to do hyperventilation to increase the submersion time.
- Use warning sign of shallow water on the pool.Learn CPR.
- Over 42% of pools owner are not aware about first aid techniques – Be careful!