Extraordinary precautions required with swimming pools

Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children in Brazil. It is surpassed only by traffic accidents deaths of children throughout the country.

This past week has seen three young children lose their lives in pools in Brazil in a period of 4 days. A 7-year old boy whose arm was sucked into the open drain of a pool in Caldas Novas - MG and spent 10 minutes underwater before being rescued lost his battle for life a few days later. In Belo Horizonte - MG, an 11-year old girl drowned when her hair became trapped in the drain in another tragic incident. Yet a third child, another 11-year old girl lost her life in exactly the same manner, hair trapped in the pool drain in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo.

Many hotels, aquatic parks, clubs and pousadas do not have lifeguards or have an insufficient number of lifeguards for the number of bathers. In many cases pools are not properly maintained and not inspected before use each day. In the case in Goias the hotel had been warned that the grate on the drain was not in place, yet they did nothing.

Women and children with long hair should use bathing caps or tie back their hair for safety. Parents should pay special attention to their children at all times since it appears that absolutely nobody at these establishments is looking out for them. Children should be clearly oriented by their parents to stay away from pool drains.

Compared to North America and other countries there are relatively few regulations regarding swimming pools and pool safety in this country. Don't just assume that you or your children will be safe.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team