Accidental drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in everyday life among people under 25 years old. Each year, they are responsible for approximately 1000 deaths in France, of which approximately half between June and September. But in this particular year of deconfinement, the provisional figures from the DROWNING 2021 survey conducted by Public Health France, already report 1,983 accidental drownings between June 1 and August 31 alone, including 250 deaths.
The number of accidental drownings varied depending on the period: during the first half of June 2021, the higher number of accidental drownings compared to 2018 (date of the last survey) occurred in a context of the lifting of the restrictive measures deployed for the management of the COVID-19 epidemic associated with climatic conditions favorable to swimming. The increase could be at least partially linked to a poor understanding of physical abilities or to a deterioration in the state of health at the end of a long period of less activity accompanied by weight gain. During the first half of July and the first half of August, the lower number of accidental drownings compared to 2018 could be linked to the much less favorable climatic conditions for swimming (temperatures, sunshine) over a large part of the metropolitan territory. .
More drownings in children under 6 and over 65
The two age categories most represented among accidental drownings are children aged between 0 and 5 years (25%) and people aged 65 and over (20%).
Among accidental drownings in watercourses/water bodies, 39% were followed by death. These proportions are 20% for accidental drownings at sea and 12% for those occurring in swimming pools.
>> How to react if you witness a drowning? If there are witnesses, ask them to call 15, to intervene more quickly. Once the drowned person is out of the water, put him half-sitting on his side if he has a cough, difficulty breathing and/or vomiting; in recovery position if unconscious. If not breathing, give CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Drowning: why should we be more vigilant in summer?
If swimming involves risks, these are particularly increased this summer due to the weather conditions which encourage swimming. It is moreover in 3 regions of the coast of the South of France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, that accidental drownings were the most numerous.
At any age, it is important to follow these common sense tips:
- Do not swim after drinking alcohol
- Avoid bathing right after eating.
- Avoid excessive sun exposure before swimming.
- Wet your head, neck and stomach as you gradually enter the water to acclimatize to its temperature.
- Do not jump into the water without having acclimatized to the temperature to avoid hydrocution.
- Take your physical condition into account: do not swim if you feel a physical problem (fatigue, health problems, chills) and do not overestimate your swimming level
- Tell a loved one before swimming
>> Beware of thermal shock: if it is very hot and the temperature difference between the air and the water is significant, you risk thermal shock with loss of consciousness, which can lead to drowning.
How to prevent children from drowning?
Knowing how to swim is the best precaution against drowning, even if it does not prevent all the risks. While swimming in the sea is supervised (always choose beaches equipped with lifeguards), private swimming pools are not. So: do not let your children swim alone. Keep all the attention on your child, without doing anything else, or looking at your smartphone screen! Every summer, accidental drownings cause about 50 deaths in children under 13 years old. A lack of supervision is noted in 1 out of 2 drownings.
- Bathe with the children or designate an adult responsible for their supervision.
- Equip them with quality armbands (bearing the CE marking and the NF 13138-1 standard) or buoys appropriate to their age, weight and size.
- Don’t be absent, even for a few minutes.
>> If you have an individual swimming pool : secure it (tarpaulin, partitioning, alarm) and remove all toys from the surface of the water so as not to attract children.
Your child has “drank the cup”: how to know if it is a drowning?
If your child is not as usual several minutes after drinking the cup, and in particular if he has one or more of the following signs, you must quickly notify the emergency services:
- He is tired or tends to fall asleep.
- He has blue lips.
- He is coughing or short of breath.
- He vomits.
>> How to know if it is a dry drowning? The health authorities regret the media coverage in recent years of what is called “dry drowning”. After “swallowing the cup”, water would manage to flood the lungs and ultimately cause drowning several hours or days after swimming. A concept which “is not based on any scientific or medical basis”, notes Public Health France.
At sea, watch out for the weather
At the seaside, find out about the weather conditions and, in general, respect the safety instructions, the bathing bans and choose the supervised bathing areas indicated by the bathing flags, where the intervention of the teams of rescue is faster
When swimming in the sea, remember to equip your children with armbands and take them with you when swimming, an open water swimming buoy. Always favor swimming at the edge of the shore. In case of high tide, big waves, inconvenient weather, avoid swimming and taking your children into the water.
If, on the contrary, it is very hot, pay attention to the temperature differences between your body and the water. Remember to stay hydrated to avoid losing your means in the water. And be careful to cover your head when you are on the boat, sunstroke could make you more vulnerable and less reactive during swimming.
Read also :
- Covid-19: can we swim without risk?
- France: 1 in 7 people cannot swim
- Autistic children: watch out for drowning
