May 23rd, 2019 by WCBC Radio

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) is celebrating Healthy and Safe Swimming Week by sharing water safety tips to prevent water-related injuries. Healthy and Safe Swimming Week runs from May 20-26, the week leading up to Memorial Day, which is the unofficial start of summer.

 

“With Memorial Day approaching, many Marylanders are planning trips to the pool or beach,” said MDH Secretary Robert R. Neall. “It’s important to remember that water is a potentially dangerous force. No matter where you swim, please keep safety in mind to prevent injuries and drownings.”

 

Swimming is one of Maryland’s most popular sporting and leisure activities. This year’s campaign will increase awareness of the simple things people can do to prevent the most common and serious health and safety risks associated with recreational water activities —drownings and injuries, sunburns and potential infections. Follow these tips so that you can safely enjoy all that Maryland’s recreational waters have to offer. 

• Never swim alone
• Always be aware of young children’s activities and whereabouts
• Use swim vests on all young children at the beach and for weaker swimmers in pools
• Reapply sunscreen frequently throughout the day
• Drink plenty of fluids
• Don’t swallow pool or beach water
• Change children’s diapers often to minimize the risk of contaminating water
• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea, or if you have open skin wounds or infections
• Stay out of the water if it has a strange color
• Use bug spray
• Learn how to avoid and to escape rip currents
• For pool owners, follow package directions when using pool chemicals
• Save contact information for emergency personnel in your cell phone

For more information, call the Maryland Department of Health’s Environmental Health Helpline at 1-866-703-3266 or email mdh.envhealth@maryland.gov. You also can find current information on Maryland’s beaches on the Healthy Beaches website. Additional information is available on the Department’s healthy and safe swimming page.