UAE | General
Keep an eye on children around house pools, UAE officials say
Health officials have warned that parents must have safety precautions in place when they have young children and swimming pools at home, following recent cases of drownings.
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:07 July 9, 2008
Dubai: Health officials have warned that parents must have safety precautions in place when they have young children and swimming pools at home, following recent cases of drownings.
A 4-year-old boy drowned on Monday afternoon after falling into his swimming pool at home. The boy was rushed to the Rashid Hospital Trauma Centre after attempts to revive him at Al Aweer Health Centre, located close to his house, failed. He arrived at the centre at 1.25pm and was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.
A senior health official at the centre told Gulf News young children should never be left unattended. He said parents should have safety precautions in place because pools were attractive places for children during the hot weather.
He suggested putting a barrier around the pool when it was not in use, or covering the pool with a pool safety net.
Pool safety devices available in the market include pool fences, vinyl pool cover, net pool cover and mesh pool cover.
This is the first case of a child drowning at a private swimming pool the centre has received this year. Last week, a 4-year-old girl drowned in her family's swimming pool in Ras Al Khaimah.
Another child drowned while at a public beach in Dubai a few months ago, according to the Trauma Centre.
Fifty-six children drowned last year, out of 1,662 injured or killed in home accidents in Abu Dhabi, prompting Abu Dhabi Police to launch a child safety awareness campaign across the emirate in May.
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