CDC report shows increase in drowning deaths

DORAL, FL – According to a recent report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today there are more drowning deaths than in previous years.

Specifically, the organization says more than 4,500 people died due to drowning every year from 2020 to 2022, which represents an increase of 500 more per year compared to how it was in 2019.

The highest increases, according to the report, were shown in children ages 1-4, adults 65 years and older, and black people of all ages. It should be noted that drowning deaths were declined for decades, but the pandemic changed everything. 

“Pools were shut down, so people may not have had those swim lessons. Children may have been unsupervised more,” CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry said according to CBS News. 

The report found that 40 million adults in the country don’t know how to swim, while also over half of adults have never taken a swimming lesson, and in concordance drowning has been known to be one of the three leading causes of unintentional deaths for individuals 5 to 34 years old, hence why water training is the first precautionary measure people should follow. 

Despite this, the CDC also addressed the fact that lack of access to lessons, prices of those lessons being unaffordable for most and historical factors are making people skip swimming classes altogether. 

But not only regular swimming lessons can help, as in many cases survival swim lessons can be the best way to prevent drowning deaths from happening since they include techniques such as rolling and floating and take less time to be completed. 

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