Help via home emergency call with an elegant bracelet for seniors
01
Sep.
Sep.
Health and Safety
What happens when children drown?
The silent and therefore greatest danger: when children drown
The press is all too happy to draw our attention to very hypothetical dangers. But the chances of getting caught in a terrorist attack or a plane crash are by no means high and certainly not commonplace. A simple look at the numbers underlines this. In 2016, 135 people died from Islamic terrorism across Europe. This was already an incredible increase compared to other years. But almost unnoticed, 537 people died of drowning in Germany alone in the same year. Many children were among the victims, which makes it even more surprising that there is not enough attention to this great danger, which should also cause Austrian parents great concern, as we unfortunately have yet to show.
What happens when children drown?
Depending on their age, drowning in children is very different, but one thing is almost always the same: drowning occurs quietly and quietly, without much drama or cries for help. This is precisely where the great danger lies.
Note: Even if you don't die, a little carelessness or a small accident while swimming can cause lifelong health problems.
Small children between the ages of 1 and 3 can quickly lose their balance on the edge of shallow garden ponds or paddling pools because of their disproportionately large heads. Touching the water then triggers a shock reaction in the baby. The airways close and without water to prevent the air supply, the child drowns. No water has to get into the lungs for the child's life to quickly be in danger. Pediatricians refer to this as “dry drowning”. It is precisely because of this frightening phenomenon that the famous 5 centimeters are enough to endanger children's lives, although adults can hardly imagine this when they look at the shallow puddles.
For children aged 6 and over, drowning occurs differently, but is rarely louder. It can happen quickly when playing around at the edge of the swimming pool or during child sports. The child slips, hits his head and lands in the pool. There it can no longer defend itself against drowning when it is unconscious. Even if serious death does not occur, a lack of oxygen can quickly lead to brain damage that can derail a person's entire life.
It can be particularly dangerous on holiday by the sea. Small children and even older children have difficulty assessing the power of currents in water. All it takes is one surprisingly large wave and playing on the beach turns into a life-threatening situation. Even if the kids can already swim, they often have no chance against the unforgiving ocean. This is the reality when children drown. Swimming aids no longer help either. Despite all efforts, the shore becomes further and further away and desperation no longer allows cries for help. Something similar can happen in a river. All of these risks to children's health are reflected in the drowning figures in Austria.
Drowning: Always among the top causes of death in Austria
Drowning has topped the list of accidental deaths for children in many years. The last time this sad top position was in 2012. But even if water, as a silent killer, does not top the rankings for child deaths, this cause of death always dominates second place. So drowning is definitely not something to be trifled with. But how can the horror of a lifeless child's body in the water be prevented?
When children drown: How can we act as a family?
Pediatricians and safety experts often only have one real piece of advice: never let your children out of your sight when water is nearby. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether this advice is unrealistic in our modern world.
But practical experience (pragmatism) shows that complete attention is only an effective concept for protecting children in theory. It's nice to think that this would be possible. A quick glance at the stove, into the washing machine or at the front door where the postman is ringing is enough to signal an emergency. There are even known cases in which the parents were actually in the water and drowning was only narrowly avoided. Many lifeguards can tell stories like this. A quick turn around for a quick conversation is enough to put your child in mortal danger. We don't even want to talk about the distraction of smartphones or an old-fashioned book.
Note - if children drown: Swimming aids alone are not a panacea to protect children from all the dangers that water poses. The silent killer can always find a way into the lungs.
However, we have a pragmatic solution to protect children: using our water alarm bracelets for children. These alarm bands sound an alarm immediately upon contact with dangerous water so that you can react within a few seconds. Seconds that can be vital for the child. So that we as parents can finally push the cause of death, drowning, far down the list. In a highly technological country like Austria, water simply should no longer pose a risk to our children. If children drown, that should be a thing of the past.
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