the grand jury within the term
determine what if any charges
are brought against Penny.
>> All right. With cool season
getting close, lot of families
will start heading off to the
nearest pool. Of course,
Houston’s only help from health
reporter Haley Hernandez is
with us with some precautionary
news. This is an important
topic each and every year,
right before summer.
>> I hate this topic, but it is
very important. So
unfortunately drowning is the
leading cause of death in
children, one to 4 years old in
the United States for children
between the ages of 5.14.
Drowning is the second leading
cause of death after crack car
crashes. So joining me this
morning to discuss the issue is
Doctor David Persse, chief
medical officer with the city
of Houston. Good morning.
Doctor purse.
>> Good morning, millionaire.
Meagan, good to hear from you,
too. So what is the best advice
that you can give parents to
reduce the risk of children
drowning?
>> But the number one most
important thing, parents even
knew what a child is in a pool
or really run any body of water
of the lake or even just a
small little cable is constant
supervision. Whenever we have a
drowning, it was a small child.
easy. I took my eyes away just
for a moment. And it’s in those
moments when tragedy constant
supervision constantly watching
child, you know, with those
Hawkeyes, the parents have you
just got to watch a kid.
You can’t allow yourself to be
distracted if there are
distractions, loud noises, a
party going on. The burden is
on the pair. You got to watch
the children.
>> Yeah, because you know,
another thing that we hear is
that when this happens, it’s
silent. You
know, nobody, nobody is
notified. It’s very quiet when
a child is drowning. So at what
age should children learn
to swim?
>> Well, formal swimming
lessons we should begin at
around age 4, not younger.
That another. Our water
survival classes that some
people will teach that really
just teach that toddler a role
in the face of those are
actually not swimming lessons.
What a swimming lesson learning
how to swim is a lifelong
lifesaving skill that every
child should have. In addition,
the parents came back the
parents for a moment. They also
need to learn CPR. CPR is
highly well. If you give the
child quick enough, see Paris,
very effective in driving
cases. But somebody has to know
how to do it and somebody to
read what so age 4 and over
for swimming lessons and all
parents should know CPR.
>> Yeah, and start that CPR
immediately. So what else can
you tell us about other types
of pool emergencies? What else
could happen
around water?
>> You know, tragically with
the other thing that happens
inside and drownings are one
people died in 2 shallow pools
and one to break the Internet.
It’s it’s very easy and dive
into a body of water, not
knowing how deep it is and you
find out the hard way. The
tragic way that it’s only 3 or
4 PD. And what have you get
your head in the bottom?
It compresses the spine.
You provide paralyzed from the
shoulders down. This happens
all too often never and dive
into and called a lesson to
diving pool. And you’re a diver
who knows what they’re doing.
I’m jumping a goal. The person
your needs can absorb it with
that. Bottom is a lot closer
than you thought. The other
thing is that little kiddie
pools you’re going to have in
my XYZ Little Kitty, because
they usually Julie Water.
So I think in Fender
intolerance and run is just as
little as an inch of water.
That could just be rain, water.
So a job for people’s views
on again, any amount of water,
a little concluding dangerous.
>> Yeah, good point there.
So what can pay people do you
know if you if you go to your
apartment complex pool or you
go to a hotel pool and we see
this happen to, you know,
children drown in those areas
where, you know, you may not
might not be as familiar with
the pool. If a parent goes
there and they have concerns.
I’m just looking around the
area. How do they report that?
What can they do? How do we
keep those pull safe, too?
>> Yeah, that’s a great
question. Things rising to the
Houston Health Department.
We have a team of poll
inspectors and you can report
concerns to 3, 1, wanted to
give blood to the health
department. We have cones
barges that will go out and
they will inspect the blow up
and there are regulations that
the Obama for 8 years need to
follow in the city of Houston,
things to be looking for work.
Number one thing is water,
which isn’t crystal clear.
The water needs to be clear,
murky water, yellowish water,
grayish water, tragically
change will drown and nobody
will actually see the child to
the bottom of the pool because
the water is unclear. So those
that sort of
whales that are in you know,
but I do know white nose
lifesaving equipment If you’re
supposed to be a lifeguard on
duty, there should be a
lifeguard on duty. And if
there’s not a need to be signs
saying so. So the parents know
again, there are bridges and
known to use that as a parent
and a grandparent. I so even
if there’s a lifeguard there,
I’m still watching The Lakers
are distracted by all the
Games. I want my kids and
that’s what I would recommend
parents do as well. Keep that
bridges of even when there’s
lifeguards around. Because like
ours. But I watch out for my
kid.
>> Yeah, that’s a really,
really excellent point. So
again, to reiterate, they can
report that by calling 3, 1, 1,
Is there a list of resources
either on the website or where
else can people get water
safety resources?
>> Another great. The great
question. So both that he used
in Consumer Dot Org and Houston
that help dot org either of
those Web pages, you can go and
you can just do a search for
water safety. We’ve got lots of
resources on swimming lessons
a variety of other things would
call safety. The parents can go
There’s just useful information
there. Again, Houston, Consumer
Dot Org or Houston health Dot
org and search for water.
Safety is all kinds of
resources that are going.
>> Doctor Persse. This was
really informative and I hope
we’ve caught people at the
right time of year before
everybody’s going out to the
pool pretty regularly. And I