In line with that, doctors from Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead are urging parents and carers to be vigilant with children in and around water.

From December 2016 to February 2017, 23 children presented to both hospitals after a drowning or near-drowning incident. Doctors don’t want to see this happen again.  

“We experienced one of the worst summer seasons in terms of drowning. 41 people in NSW lost their lives with 15 per cent of those being in children under five,” Dr. Mary McCaskil, Emergency Medical Director at Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, said. “Our network and other safety organisations, are aiming to prevent this from occurring again. We want the statistic to be zero.” 

“Most parents and carers think they will hear something if their child is drowning, but in fact it is very silent and rapid. Sadly, even a non-fatal drowning can result in devastating brain injuries and lifelong disabilities for the child in just a couple of minutes,” she said.

To help raise awareness about water safety, the network’s Kids Health child health promotion unit has launched the ‘Kids can drown without a sound!’ campaign with a focus on portable and inflatable pools.

It emphasises four key priorities to help prevent drowning in children:

Sue Wicks, the network’s Kids Health Department Head, said adult supervision of children in and around water is the best protection against drowning.

“However it is easy to be distracted by everyday tasks, like answering the phone. Compliant pool barriers add another layer of protection to restrict children gaining access to the pool when supervision is interrupted.” 

Seaside, inland river or pool, the risks and warnings are the same. Heed the advice. Protect the young. Be cautious around water.

Many drownings are avoidable. Let’s do everything we can to prevent them.