According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are an estimated 11 drowning deaths per day in the United States. That number comes to a total of approximately 4,000 fatal drownings a year.
Staggering stats like that are exactly why UTMB Health providers like Laura Ellender, nurse practitioner with the UTMB Health Pediatric and Adult Primary Care, South Shore clinic, are passionate about spreading water safety information.
To help keep children safe when swimming, Ellender recommends that adults:
- Always supervise children closely while they are swimming.
- Ensure that proper vests or flotation devices are used for inexperienced swimmers at all times and for all swimmers in large bodies of water, such as lakes.
- Discourage children from playing games in the pool that require prolonged periods of holding your breath.
- Encourage children to keep away from all pool drains.
- Keep children from swimming when sick.
For more information on children's health and wellness measures --including care options -- visit the UTMB Health Pediatrics page.
UTMB Health provider Laura Ellender on swimming safety