Despite emergency medical services being available at the touch of a button, many children in South Africa still die annually as a result of drowning. While drowning is mainly associated with the summer season it can occur at any time of the year.
There is no distinction between the drowning of children and that of adults. Most occur in rivers, where life jackets are worn the wrong way, or people even rely on an empty two-litre cold drink bottle for safety.
It can be prevented by following basic safety precautions in and around the home, but also by equipping yourself with knowledge of how to perform CPR, especially on children.
It is a simple, life-saving procedure. This can equip you to save the life of your own or a neighbour’s child while waiting for professional help to arrive.
A person can drown in as little as four millilitres of water per kilogram of his or her own body weight. Therefore, things like baths, toilets, water buckets and washbasins all pose a risk and should be kept empty or closed, especially where young children are around.
They are curious and enjoy exploring. While doing so, they can easily slip away unnoticed which can cause them to fall into an unprotected swimming pool and drown.
Additional safety precautions in the form of physical safety barriers, such as safety nets and SABS approved pool fencing, can prevent a child from drowning. Water-safety or swimming classes at an accredited provider is a good idea, while children must also be educated not to run around a pool, not to push friends into it and to always get in at the shallow end.
Quick and appropriate treatment by emergency service personnel who reach the unfortunate victims first, as well as the staff members of the hospital they are taken to, can be decisive to their future well-being and even whether they live or die.
If you are first on the scene of a medical emergency where a child is involved and he/she is unresponsive, call for help. If someone responds, send the person to activate the emergency response system. If you are alone, do five cycles before running to the phone to call for an ambulance.
To perform child CPR, look for responsiveness and check for breathing by looking for chest rise. If there is no response and no breathing or only gasping, shout for help. Commence chest compressions. Push hard and fast, do 30 compressions and then give two breaths. If you are alone, provide five cycles of CPR before leaving the child to activate the emergency response system.
Continue until an ambulance arrives. Using this information can prevent the loss of a loved one.
Video link: https://youtu.be/Pi7oA1ZMxBc
