(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
DOHA: Children need to be constantly watched over by adults while they are in or around water as risk of drowning is real and can happen quickly and in complete silence, says an expert.
Most of the drowning incidents usually happen when the children are left in the swimming pools or near water unattended without direct supervision, said Dr Khalid Al Abdulnoor, Senior Consultant Emergency Medicine and Chairman of Kulluna for Health and Safety Program at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
'Anywhere there is water there is danger to children. Children can die within few minutes in complete silence. Drowning is completely preventable and no drowning should happen if we take the necessary precautions whilst enjoying being in and around water, said Dr Al Abdulnoor told The Peninsula.
'There are simple things that we can do to prevent the risk of drowning. Parents should not allow their children near or in high risk water areas such as swimming pool and beaches without direct and immediate supervision by a responsible adult. Proper fencing of swimming pools can prevent at least 70 percent of drowning cases in pools. Children should be taught how to swim and beginner swimmers or those who don't know how to swim must not enter a swimming pool or beach without wearing a lifejacket, he added.
Dr Al Abdulnoor further advised parents to make sure that the doors to bathrooms are closed as infants may wander in and inadvertently end up falling in a tub or bucket filled with water. 'Global statistics indicate that children can drown in bathtubs, fish tanks, buckets, toilet bowls, etc. A child can drown in less than two minutes, and in as little as 5 cm of water. Therefore constant supervision around water is essential, he said.
Recently the HMC said that it has recorded with 15 incidences of near drowning and two fatalities recorded so far this year. While, according to the Kulluna for Health and Safety initiative, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death and serious disability in children in Qatar. Ninety percent of drowning cases involve children under the age of 10, with 70 percent of these cases involving children under the age of four.
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