Deadly child drownings have increased 300%, Children's Health Care of Atlanta reports

ATLANTA - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta officials say they have seen a sharp increase in deadly drowning so far in 2024 compared to last year at the same time. 

According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4, but doctors at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta say this year has been unusual. 

"What we have seen this year is that trending a little bit older - the elementary age and even high school age kids-which is atypical for us," Amanda Batlle, Manager of Injury and Illness Prevention at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said. 

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Batlle said they have seen four fatal drownings come through their hospitals this year, a 300% increase from last year. This time last year, Batlle said there was only one fatal drowning at their hospitals. 

Batlle could not go into many details for privacy reasons, but she says they're happening anywhere from pools to lake and oceans. She said some of the non-fatal drownings have even happened in bathtubs or backyard kiddie pools. 

Supervision or lack thereof has been a common theme throughout each one of these. We know that the number one way to prevent or reduce drownings is constant supervision," she explained. 

"Then we also think about older kids...doesn't mean that every parent has to go and watch their 16- and 17-year-old, but thinking about swimming in groups. Things can happen, and we want to make sure we have somebody there," she added. 

Just last week, bystanders saved a Troup County toddler from West Point Lake after officials said the toddler went underwater. 

Thursday, two women pulled a 7-year-old boy out of a DeKalb County apartment complex pool after he too went under the surface. A witness told FOX 5 the child was not accompanied by an adult. 

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In addition to supervision to prevent drowning, Children's recommends barriers around bodies of water, like fences around pools, swim lessons, being prepared for emergencies, like knowing CPR, and wearing life jackets. 

"This is where it can be really important too for our older kids who sometimes think they're invincible," Batlle said. 

"Sometimes we overestimate our abilities in the water. If we're out swimming in the lake or in the pools it can get really hard really fast and we don't know that we're tired," she added.