Experts urge parents and caregivers to be alert around water as drownings happen silently and in seconds.
Every moment near water holds the risk of an emergency, warns an emergency medicine specialist, urging families and individuals to be constantly vigilant as temperatures rise and the hazard of drowning intensifies.
Heidelberg Nigel Heraut reports that, according to ChildSafe SA, a leading child safety organisation, SA is listed globally among the top 45 countries with a drowning rate of 4.06 per 100 000 population. This silent epidemic demands immediate attention.
"Your child is never safe around water. Vigilance and a proactive approach are crucial to prevent drowning, particularly in summer when the danger of drowning increases," says Professor Feroza Motara, the head of emergency medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand and an emergency medical specialist practising at the Netcare Linksfield Hospital.
"Drowning is silent and can occur within seconds, without any warning signs. The risk is present around any water, including baths, swimming pools and even small inflatable pools.
"Children must be watched every moment they are near water. This task must never be delegated to others, including older children or distracted adults, because disaster can strike instantly. Every lapse in supervision is a potential tragedy; vigilance cannot be compromised," she warns.
Motara points out that even a glance at your phone, replying to a message or scrolling through social media while supervising children near water can lead to disaster.
"It is particularly dangerous to drink alcohol or socialise when supervising children near water. Just one lapse in attention could result in serious, life-threatening consequences, especially when more than one small child is present. Every distraction creates a risk. Never allow anything to divert your focus when children are in or near water," she cautions.
* Never leave children unattended, inside and outside.
* Supervision must be undistracted, so avoid phones, reading or long conversations while children are in or near water.
* Keep alert to everyday risks, including toilets, baths, water features, fish tanks, pet water bowls and buckets. Children can drown wherever there is access to water, and a baby can drown in as little as 2.5cm.
* Stay within arm's length of all children around water.
* Always know where your children are. Parents must ensure they or a responsible adult is always watching children near a pool, a jacuzzi or a natural body of water. Don't assume a child meant to be inside has not somehow got out.
* Learn life-saving skills, including the basics of swimming and CPR.
* Enclose ponds, pools and water storage. Install a four-sided isolation fence at least 1.2m high with a self-closing and self-latching gate to control access to bodies of water.
* Focus on supervision. Never drink alcohol or get distracted by work, phone calls, social media or anything that could divert your attention while watching children.
* Immediately replace the pool safety cover after swimming.
* Don't rely on armbands, floating toys, inner tubes or other devices to keep children safe.
* Teach children to swim, but never leave them unsupervised.
* Consider installing water alarms, such as a floating pool alarm or external security beams, to complement the precautions of fencing and supervision.
* Beware of drains. Children must be kept away from pool or jacuzzi drains because their hair or limbs could become trapped in the suction.
* Know who to call in an emergency. Be prepared for any medical emergency with Netcare 911 on 082 911, and download the Netcare app, which includes Netcare 911 emergency call and geolocation functions, as well as a 60-second callback option.
Mande Toubkin, Netcare's GM of emergency and trauma, transplant and CSI, encourages everyone, especially parents and child carers, to learn basic first aid and CPR.
While proper supervision and preventive steps should eliminate the need for emergency intervention, knowing CPR can mean the difference between life and death in a drowning. These lifesaving skills are indispensable; their true value is only realised during a crisis, when quick action can save a child's life.
"Complacency is a major risk factor when we are having fun, and adults can also benefit from a refresher on injury and drowning prevention around water," she points out.
* Avoid swimming while under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants.
* When near water, an undistracted and responsible adult should always supervise children.
* At the beach, only swim in designated areas with lifeguards and don't swim far out.
* Remember, swimming in the sea is different to swimming in a pool or dam, even for experienced swimmers.
* Only dive into a body of water if you can see what is below the surface, and always test the depth first.
* Shout for help.
* Loudly call the person's name. If they show no signs of life and are not breathing, start hands-on CPR.
* Ensure someone has called the emergency services, such as Netcare 911 on 082 911 or via the Netcare app.
* The Netcare 911 call centre will assist you in doing CPR.
* Do not put the person in a car and rush them to the hospital. You waste valuable time not doing CPR.
* With the patient on a firm, flat surface, kneel next to them.
* For adult patients, interlace the fingers and, using both hands, pump hard and fast in the centre of the chest. Hands-only CPR can be used for adults.
* For child patients, place one hand in the centre of the chest and begin single-handed chest compressions, hard and fast. After 30 compressions, tilt the head back, and give two rescue breaths into the child's mouth of one second each.
* For babies, use only two fingers for chest compressions, depressing the chest approximately 3.5cm. After 30 compressions, tilt the head back and give two rescue breaths of one second each, allowing the previous breath of air to escape before doing the next.
* Repeat chest compressions, allowing the chest to rise between each compression.
* Continue hands-only CPR until help arrives, the patient becomes responsive or shows signs of life, such as breathing or coughing.
Even if you have never done CPR, Netcare 911's national emergency operations centre can provide live coaching via secure video link to callers until help arrives. The caller is connected with the Netcare 911 emergency care providers, enabling them to see and hear each other.
A qualified healthcare provider, a registered nurse or a paramedic, demonstrates the relevant CPR technique for an adult, a child or an infant on an appropriately-sized mannequin, as a case manager coaches the caller to copy their actions to perform CPR correctly on the patient.