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“From 2007 to 2011, 40 children drowned in backyard pools in NSW. Last year, five children drowned in backyard pools and there were 30 near-drownings.
“Something people need to be particularly aware of is the danger posed by inflatable pools that are often not fenced off or left filled up an unsupervised when not in use,” AMA (NSW) President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said.
“Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for young children but it doesn’t have to be.
“With the Government’s new pool fence laws and campaigns like Kids Can Drown Without a Sound we are working to keeps kids safe this summer.
“I’m very happy to be working with Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, and the NSW Government; the Children’s Hospital at Westmead; Royal Life Saving; and Ambulance NSW on trying to prevent further tragedies,” A/Prof Owler said.
“All parents know that children can be unpredictable and aren’t necessarily aware of the danger bodies of water present.
“What we are trying to do is highlight things that can be done to protect them, like fencing off inflatable pools,
“Water does not need to be very deep to drown a toddler” A/Prof Owler said.
“Even if a child survives a near-drowning, he or she can be left with severe and permanent brain damage.
“We need to do all we can to make people aware of the problem and prevent the further loss of children’s lives,” A/Prof Owler said.
“I would also like to thank the Health Minister and the Government for helping spread the Kids Can Drown Without a Sound message as widely as possible by running the campaign in multiple languages,” A/Prof Owler said.
