Public health officials encourage water safety in summer months

ALBANY — For many in southwest Georgia, school is out and the pool is open. The Southwest Public Health District has tips to help residents stay safe and healthy while enjoying time in the water this summer.

“We encourage parents to teach their children to swim or enroll them in swimming lessons,” Health District Director Dr. Charles Ruis said. “Even if you don’t have regular access to a pool, there is the possibility that your child could play alongside a pond or a rain-filled ditch and fall in. Being able to swim would give your child a skill that would serve well in that scenario and throughout his or her lifetime.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that drowning kills more young children ages 1-4 than anything else except birth defects.

“Drowning prevention is vital,” Ruis said. “You can help prevent children from drowning not only by teaching swimming skills, but by having them wear life vests and swimming under the close supervision of parents, caregivers or lifeguards who know cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

“Whether in the pool, the hot tub or water playground, we can all help protect ourselves and our loved ones from germs by following five simple but effective steps.”

The steps public health officials encourage include:

— Don’t swim or let children swim when sick with diarrhea;

— Don’t swallow the water;

— Take children on bathroom breaks every hour;

— Check diapers, and change them in a bathroom or diaper-changing area — not poolside — to keep germs away from the pool;

— Shower before getting in the water. Rinsing off in the shower for just one minute helps get rid of any germs that might be on the body.

Jennifer Parks