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WATER SAFETY STRESSED
Friday, June 12th, 2009 -- 12:01 pm
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
With summer (supposedly) on the way, more families will be heading out to the beach, but kids shouldn’t be left alone in the water.
"Kids need constant supervision around water," says Jessica Thomsen with Clark County Public Health, "kids think that nothing can happen to them. Young children are especially vulnerable."
Kids can drown in as little as 2-inches of water—but, there are other risks: On sunny days, children are more apt to burn than adults; if the water is cold, kids are more likely to suffer hypothermia.
"One of the warning signs to look for is, if a child's lips are blue or are shivering, it's definitely too cold for them. Get them out of the water and warm them up," she says.
Other risks include bacteria, like blue-green algae, and parasites.
"Like Cryptosporidium, which normally lives in the gastro-intestinal tract. It can be released into pools, lakes or anybody of water." Thomsen explains. "It can lead to pretty severe nausea, weight loss and vomiting."
"If it happens in children...it can be very dangerous. They can be hospitalized."
The Health Department conducts weekly tests of the county’s beaches.
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