WATER SAFETY A PRIORITY THIS YEAR

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Although we are officially in the summer season in terms of tourism and beach safety, the height of the season is still a fair few weeks away, which is prompting calls for caution for everyone looking to enjoy a day at the beach.

During the 2012 season, which ran from the 2nd of June until the 29th of September, 186 people lost their lives in water based incidents, 152 of whom were men, with August being the worst month, when there were 62 fatalities. Out of the total number of deaths, 42 people were in the 70´s and upwards age bracket, whereas 14 were children.

The bathing season poses one of the greatest risks to children. According to the Spanish Association of Paediatrics, drowning accounts for 8% of deaths and 73% of these deaths occur in swimming pools for private use. Drowning is the second leading cause for infant mortality, with consciousness often being lost within two minutes and irreversible damage occurring as quickly as within four to six minutes. The percentage of deaths from injuries associated with aquatic environments beats deaths from cancer or respiratory diseases. Up to 25% of children and adolescents admitted for medical treatment because of water related incidents will suffer consequences in the future that will result in neurological problems or affect the psychomotor development, they say.

A lifeguard of some years of experience, José, says that his job as a lifeguard is to “anticipate” what might happen. He states that children become particularly vulnerable near the water, but parents also need to take more of a responsibility in avoiding incidents, saying parents should “never lose sight of their children because many think it is a nursery and sometimes come with the kids, see the lifeguard and relax”, but it is not a life guard´s role to supervise children on behalf of parents.

As children grow older, the risk changes with the development of water based activities. Slides and jumps become a bigger cause of incidents involving adolescents, moving into canoeing and windsurfing as they get even older, and scuba diving as they become late in their teens.

The Ministry of Health has produced a booklet advising actions to prevent incidents at any age, although primarily aimed at the safety of children and the adults responsible for their care. “The aim is to warn of the risk of injury in different aquatic environments and recommend safety behaviours to be taken to avoid them”, says Ana Mato, the Health Minister.

The guide also details how a child can drown in the smallest amount of water, perimeter fences are advisable, respecting flags on beaches and avoiding dives into the sea, as well as avoiding alcohol are just some of the topics covered.

The Minister hopes that through awareness and advice, there will be a reduction in incidents this year, and certainly no repeat of last summer where, at one point, a number of children died within a matter of days.

Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/39531/

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