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Education In Water
Safety Vital
The tremendous toll of child lives lost each year in drowning accidents can be reduced only through parental protection and .education.
The Health Department is sponsoring a water safety program this month as a feature of the department's year-round accident prevention program.
Ift addition to swimming hazards, the campaign is designed to warn parents about other water dangers, such as farm ponds, water filled excavations, irrigation ditch•es, wells, cisterns and even the family bathtub.
Drowhing is the leading cause of accidental death among children 5-14 years of age. In addition, ten percent of all drownings are children under five years of age. These figures add to more than 2200 young lives lost needlessly .each year.
Prevention of drmjjnings from birth^ to five years of age depends primarily oA protection. During this period, the child can be taught in his bath, a respect for water rather than a fear of it or indiffer1 ence to its potentialities. *He can learn that the untrained human body is not unsinkable and that fluid in the mouth, eyes, and air passages is not pleasant.
To reduce deaths from drownings in the 5-14 year old group, principal reliance must be on education. Children should be taught to swim early. They must be impressed also with the fact that clothing may rob them of their ahilily to swim, as well as other factors, such as a blow on the head, stomach cramps, or even extremely cold water.
In certain areas, learning to swim must take into consideration currents, unde/tow, rocks, etc. It also must feature proper and safe handling of rafts, canoes, logs, paddles, surfboards and small boats.
Following are suggestions for the protection of small children:
1. Parents should fence in their ponds or pools and supervise children
in wading pools. ^
2. Do not allow* children to play near water without adequate Supervision.
d. Parents should fence their yards to prevent children from straying to unfenced ponds or to irrigation ditches, abandoned w’ells, cisterns or water "death traps.”
4. Babies should never be left alone, even for just a moment.
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