Tips to avoid children drowning at home: A major concern during hot months

Doha: The Hamad Injury Prevention Program (HIPP) at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Hamad Trauma Center is warning parents, families and caregivers to supervise their children and to know about how to protect kids, avoid risks, and respond in an emergency.

Tsoler Sekayan, Program Coordinator of the HIPP, the community outreach arm of HMC’s Hamad Trauma Center, said: “Water safety is important for all ages, but especially for toddlers. Drowning is a leading cause of injury death in children 1-4. Young children can drown in as little as an inch or two of water, and it can happen quickly and silently’. Worldwide, an estimated 236,000 people die from drowning every year, it is considered the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide and children, males and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk for drowning. In Qatar, as many as 50 residents die from drowning every year.