Jhb boy, 2, drowns in pool
2008-02-15 20:02
Johannesburg - A two-year-old boy died after drowning in a pool in Bramley on Friday morning, Netcare 911 said.
Spokesperson Nick Dollman said paramedics found the boy next to the pool. It was unclear how long the boy had been in the pool before he was taken out.
The boy was intubated, ventilated and CPR and medical drugs were administered by paramedics.
Paramedics managed to resuscitate the boy at the scene for about 45 minutes before taking him to Milpark Hospital in a critical condition.
At the hospital doctors found no signs of life in the boy and he was declared dead on arrival.
The mother, a domestic worker at the house, and the father were receiving trauma counselling from the same hospital.
Since September 1 2007, Netcare 911 has attended to 63 drowning or near drowning incidents in Gauteng, 11 of which have occurred this year.
Netcare 911 runs drowning awareness campaigns in September, December and before the Easter period every year.
"Any water deep enough to cover the mouth and nose of a child is potentially dangerous. We have attended to children drowned in dog bowls, water features, ponds, nappy buckets, toilets, bath tubs, swimming pools and standing water," said Dollman.
Netcare 911 called on parents and child-minders to secure their swimming pools with safety nets, fences or pool alarms to prevent drowning incidents.
"Constant adult supervision is recommended when children are around water. The Netcare 911 statistics show that the majority of children affected drown in unprotected swimming pools," said Dollman.
- SAPA