Louisiana Department of Health Releases Water Safety Information as Summer Approaches

Louisiana Department of Health urges water safety as summer approaches and child drownings increase.

May is National Water Safety Month, and as temperatures rise and families return to water activities, parents and families must be aware of the precautions they can take to prevent child drownings.

According to the most recent Louisiana Child Death Review Report from the Louisiana Department of Health’s (LDH) Bureau of Family Health, drowning was the third leading cause of injury-related death in children ages 0-14 in Louisiana from 2017 to 2019. Top risk factors included a child who could not swim (96 percent), being unsupervised (72 percent), and having no barriers to water (54 percent ). Over half (60 percent) of children who died in Louisiana drowned in a pool, hot tub, or spa.

Following five years of decreasing child drownings in Louisiana, the year 2020 was one of the deadliest in recent history. The number of infant and child drownings (ages 0-14) in Louisiana increased by 60% from 15 in 2019 to 24 in 2020. According to preliminary LDH data, 25 infants and children will drown in Louisiana in 2021.

“Tragically, the number of children in Louisiana we have lost to drowning continues to increase,” said State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter. “I urge everyone to follow a few simple, but critical steps to keep you and your children safe around the water we all love to enjoy.”

Families can help prevent drowning by taking the following precautions:

• Watch children when they are in or around water at all times; avoid getting distracted.
• Teach children how to swim and water survival skills.
• Take CPR classes. Visit cpr.heart.org to find a class near you.
• If you own a pool or spa, install layers of protection, including a four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.
• Wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket when boating or participating in other water activities.
• Swim in designated swimming areas and use extreme caution around natural bodies of water which may have unpredictable currents and undertow.

We can help prevent drownings among Louisiana children and youth by following water safety tips and sharing ready-to-use resources. PoolSafely.gov provides brochures, Water Watcher cards, fact sheets, social media tools, videos, and other resources.