HLA San Carlos It states that the third cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, is drowning, especially in children and young people. "In the case of children under 5 years, drownings usually occur in private pools, while in older children occur when performing water activities in the sea, river or reservoirs", declare the professionals of the l'Institut Pediàtric de la Marina Alta (IPEMA) that pass HLA queries San Carlos Office de Jávea.
Faced with this situation, it is essential to establish basic rules to avoid accidents, since the main problem is the lack of awareness about the dangers that water poses for the little ones.
On the beach forget about your mobile
Children have a feeling of danger less developed than that of adults, for this reason, you should never lose sight of them when they are playing in the water or very close to it. Activities such as reading, taking a nap on the beach, can be potentially dangerous.
In addition, in various reports such as that of the Royal Spanish Salvage and Lifeguard Federation, we find that they add the presence of mobiles as a factor in the increase in accidents in the water, as parents are confused and are not aware of the time they pass without watching their children.
HLA professionals recommend going to beaches and community or public swimming pools with the presence of a lifeguard, because the majority of deaths occur in places where there is no supervision, such as estuaries, canals and private pools, as recorded in the data from ahogamiento.com. "Of course, do not forget that when there is a guard, this is pending many people, so parents or companions should always be in charge of supervision and monitoring of their children", advise pediatrics.
In HLA San Carlos also emphasize the priority of fencing domestic swimming pools, so that they are isolated from the rest of the garden and especially from the children's play area. This measure is also applicable to removable pools and 'toy pools', whose access must be restricted to children so that they can only bathe in the presence of an adult.
Swimming lessons as prevention
From IPEMA recommend to enroll the youngest of the house to swimming lessons as soon as possible, since there is no established age, but depends on the skills and maturity of each child. However, even if they know how to swim, they should always remain under the supervision of an adult because knowing does not guarantee that there are no accidents, because they know how to defend themselves in swimming lessons does not mean they can swim well in the sea or in pools with lots of people .
"And if your child does not know how to swim or still does not feel confident, always use safety devices. In this case, lifejackets are preferable to self-inflating floats and sleeves, since the latter can deflate easily and give a sense of false security ", the pediatricians of the center add. In addition, there are other habits that should be avoided, such as throwing one's head at a shallow depth (less than 1,80 m). It will always be better to stand on the water.
Among other precautions we must also take into account the sun exposure and hydration, since it is possible that a heat stroke occurs in the water, causing a fainting that can trigger drowning. "In the event that we witness an episode of these characteristics, we must put the affected person in a cool place, sit him only if he has a good level of consciousness and try to reduce the degrees of the body. In addition, if you are awake, you should give small sips of water, and prudently, all those who have these symptoms should go to the emergency room to keep them under observation ", recommend from the center.
The group of pediatricians of the HLA San Carlos de Jávea is formed by Josep Mut Buigues, María Beneyto Lluch, Lourdes Escrivá Cholbi and María Sánchez Marí, a highly qualified team that ensures that, in the presence of a case of drowning, "you must act and ask for help quickly. Time is very important and if, by chance, you know the basic measures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, you can help save a life. "
