Rappahannock Area Health Department Offers Swimming Pool Safety Tips Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
The Rappahannock Area Health Department is calling attention to World Drowning Prevention Day, held annually on July 25, in light of the fact that an increased number of children have died by drowning in Virginia this year.
According to a press release issued by the health department, nine children under age five accidentally drowned in pools in 2025, the highest number in five years. Three died last year, two in 2023, four in 2022, eight in 2021, and four in 2020.
Tragically, pool drownings are most likely to happen at home, especially for children under age 5. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 70% of pool or spa drownings in children under 15 happen at home, and the percentage grows to 85% for children 0-5 years old.
Drowing is also the leading cause of death among children ages one to four, according to the press release, and one of 10 leading causes of death among children ages five to 14.
Olugbenga Obasanjo, director of the area health department, said it’s important for adults to stay alert when children are swimming.
“While it is important to relax and recharge, we must stay alert during high-risk activities like swimming,” he said in the press release. “This is especially important when watching young children or others who may not see danger or keep themselves safe.”
The health department offers the following safety tips for residential pools:
Install or maintain a fence at least four feet tall around the entire pool/spa.
Use a self-closing and self-latching gate.
Use anti-entrapment drain covers. Encourage swimmers to stay away from drains and other pool openings.
Always remove portable pool ladders when not in use and when adults are not present.
Remove all toys from the pool area that might attract children when adults are not present.
Install alarms that will alert you when someone enters the pool area.
Empty and put away smaller portable pools after every use. Cover larger portable pools.
Make sure your neighbors, babysitters and visitors know about the pool’s presence in your yard.
More safety tips and resources are at the Virginia Department of Health’s Swim Healthy Virginia website.
World Drowning Prevention Day was declared by an act of the United Nations General Assembly in 2021. The global advocacy event highlights “the tragic and profound impact of drowning on families and communities and offer[s] life-saving solutions to prevent it,” according to its website.
More than 90% of drowning deaths occur in rivers, lakes, wells, domestic water storage vessels, and swimming pools in low- and middle-income countries, with children and adolescents in rural areas disproportionately affected.
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