Summer months are a time for water recreational activities. But where summer and water are combined, children are especially vulnerable. Drowning is the leading cause of death for Los Angeles County youngsters from one to four years old. Of the 117 drowning deaths last year, 21 were children less than five years old. Two-thirds of these children drowned in backyard pools. It takes just a few seconds for a child to drown or nearly drown. Leaving children unattended in a few inches of water can have deadly results.

In recent years, we have also seen an increase in the number of elderly persons who drowned during warm weather months. Last year, 26 people over the age of 65 drowned, compared to 15 who drowned in 1996. Many of these deaths occurred in spas and swimming pools. Seniors with heart conditions, high blood pressure or who experience dizziness and equilibrium difficulties should use caution when wading or swimming.

• A majority of drownings occur when parents or caretakers are momentarily distracted.

• Stay alert ! Never leave children unattended in or near a swimming pool, pond, hot tub, spa, toilet, bathtub, or large bucket of water.

• Most pool and spa drownings can be prevented by properly placed barrier fences which close off the pool completely.

• Pool fences should have openings no wider than four inches across.

• Pool gates should be fitted with self-locking mechanisms.

• Pool fences should be at least 4’ 10" high. As an added safety precaution, pool owners should consider installing automatic pool covers and door alarms.

• Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) saves lives! Learn CPR.

• Keep rescue equipment and a telephone with emergency numbers at pool side. Keep a long pole near the pool which can be used to reach anyone in trouble.

• Flotation devices such as inflatable toys and arm cuffs are not substitutes for adult supervision.

• No child under six-years-old is "pool-safe" even if he or she has taken swimming lessons. Twenty-five percent of children who drown have had swimming lessons. Use the "Buddy System" for all young poolgoers, regardless of swimming proficiency.

For more information, contact the Public Health Injury and Violence Prevention Program at (213) 240-7785.

It’s particularly important to be mindful of the sun’ s powerful rays and their harmful effects, not only when you are sunbathing but during any outdoor activities. The sun’ s rays can cause painful sunburn and prolonged exposure to UV light also can cause skin cancer. Much of the sun’s harmful effects can be prevented. The following are a few steps your can follow to reduce your risks:

Know Your Risks. If you sunburn easily and have a hard time getting a tan, you may be especially vulnerable to some of the more serious effects of the sun such as skin cancer.

Protect Yourself. Using a sunscreen will help protect you when you can’t avoid extended exposure to the sun. Even though it’s summer, try to reduce the amount of sun you get. The sun is most damaging between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the ultraviolet rays are most intense. Wear a wide brimmed hat to protect your face and head. Also, cover your arms and legs. Even on overcast days, the sun’ s rays still penetrate the clouds causing skin damage.

Use sunscreen, not just on the beach, but anytime you will have prolonged sun exposure. Sunscreens should be applied 30 to 40 minutes before you go out into the sun. Sunscreens come in a variety of strengths, but experts recommend a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15.

Watch for child pedestrians. Children may dart out unexpectedly. There are ice cream trucks and other curbside attractions that may cause a child to run into the street. Small children mistakenly believe that if they can see a car or truck, it can also see them.

While driving, be alert for small pedestrians where you least expect them. Parents and caretakers must not let children play in unsafe areas. Children should not share play space with fast-moving motor vehicle traffic.

When traveling with kids, small children and infants must ride in appropriate child passenger car seats.

It’s the law!

The Department of Health Services provides education and vouchers to low income families to purchase a child passenger car seat at five locations throughout the County. It’ s important that:

1. The seat is appropriate for the age and weight of the child,
2. It’s correctly placed in the car, and
3. The car seat is properly buckled. Call the Injury and Violence Prevention

Program at (213) 240-7785 for voucher program locations near you.

Children, youth and adults who roller blade or skateboard should wear helmets, and knee, wrist and elbow pads to prevent serious injury to their skull, arms and legs.

Children may spend more time home al one, during the summer. They may beat home alone with a friend, or at a friend’ s home without parental supervision. If your child goes to the home of a friend, you may want to ask if there is a gun in the home. If there is a gun, you may want to ask how it’ s stored, and if the child knows where it’ s kept.

If you keep a gun in your home, it must be safely stored, preferably locked away. The ammunition should be locked in a separate, secure location. Better yet, don’t keep a gun in your home you have kids.

LASTLY, TEACH YOUR CHILD TO DIAL "911" IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

10 WAYS TO KEEP WHEN THE HEAT SOARS

It’s natural to be out and active during the sunny summer months. But you also need to protect yourself from illnesses such as dehydration, sunburn, heat exhaustion and heat stroke during hot summer months. People sometimes forget they can’t keep up their usual routines as the weather heats up. When temperatures climb, you should change your activity patterns. You need to slow down, adjusting your activities to the hotter weather.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion results from excessive sweating, which causes loss of body fluids. Common symptoms are profuse sweating; weakness; dizziness; headache; nausea; dim or blurred vision; cold, damp skin; extreme tiredness; and feelings of apprehension. If you experience symptoms of heat exhaustion you should drink liquids such as water, soft drinks and fruit juices and lie flat with your head down. If you are exercising during hot weather, drink plenty of these fluids to help prevent heat exhaustion.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke occurs when the body is unable to shed heat and the body temperature rises above normal. You feel as if you are "burning up" and your skin feels hot and dry. You may experience headache, weakness and sudden loss of consciousness. Treat this condition as an emergency and call a physician immediately. Cool a heat stroke victim by immersing or wrapping the body in cold water or ice while waiting for medical assistance. Take special care to notice if children, elderly individuals or pets are showing signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke so you can provide appropriate assistance.

USE YOUR HEAD!
STRAP ON A HELMET WHEN BIKING, BOARDING OR BLADING

Children enjoying themselves by skating, cycling, playing, street hockey and other outdoor sports should always wear appropriate protective gear.

Bicycling poses a special hazard. More than 100,000 people, many of them children, suffer head injuries each year.

Bicycle helmets prevent head injuries by absorbing the shock of a crash, distributing the force of the crash over the helmet, and by protecting your head from sharp objects. Bike helmets are mandatory in California for all riders.

Obey the law!

What you can do: - Always wear a helmet and teach your children to wear helmets too. Even low speed crashes (less than 5 mph) can cause permanent brain damage.

Bicycle helmets prevent fatal and severe head injuries. Head injuries are the leading cause of permanent disability for Los Angeles County children. Inexpensive effective helmets are available. "Safe Moves" in association with the Los Angeles City School Bicycle Safety and Transit Educational Safety Program is currently sponsoring a program to provide 10,000 helmets to help prevent injury. Contact Safe Moves at (818) 908-5341.

With summer’ s arrival, picnics, family gatherings and potluck dinners, are more frequent. Get the best from your summer get together by taking precautions against food poisoning. Casual mishandling of food during warm weather in parks where there are no washing facilities increases the risk of food poisoning. Always handle picnic food with great care. Onset of food borne illness usually takes 12 to 36 hours in the case of eggs and two to five days for ground meat. Anyone who suspects illness from contaminated food should contact his or her physician and report the incident by telephone to the Health Officer at (213) 240- 7821.

Fortunately most food borne infections are easily preventable. To protect your family and friends, follow these Safe Food Preparation Tips:

• Poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 180-185^OF. Juices of the meat should run clear when pierced with a fork. Poultry that is pink is undercooked.

• Refrigerate ground meat immediately after purchase and cook it to an internal temperature of 155^OF or until the meat is no longer pink.

• Avoid eating raw and undercooked eggs. Even those with normal-looking, clean, intact shells can cause serious illness. Store eggs in the case they came in and refrigerate them at 45^OF as soon as possible after purchase. Use only clean, uncracked eggs; do not reuse any container that has held a raw egg mixture until the container has been cleaned; and cook eggs thoroughly until no visible liquid remains. Use pasteurized eggs when preparing egg containing foods, such as salad dressings, which are not cooked.

• Keep both ground meat and eggs at temperatures above 140^OF or below 45^OF after cooking and avoid leaving them at room temperature for more than one hour, including preparation and service times. Wash hands before and after pre-paring these foods and use only clean utensils.

• Store raw meats and poultry on a platter or in plastic bags on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to prevent dripping blood from contaminating other food. When refrigerating large quantities of food, divide the food into smaller containers; this will prevent infection from Clostridium perfringens. It’ s best to thoroughly re-heat foods which have been precooked.
  

Salmonella, a bacterium typically found in raw or undercooked meat, poultry and eggs, is a common cause of food poisoning. People who become infected can develop symptoms including fever and diarrhea. The largest number of cases occur during July, August and September.

Contaminated food may not necessarily look, smell or taste bad, yet it can cause very unpleasant illness lasting up to several days. In certain high risk groups, it can cause severe illness and occasional death. It’ s particularly important for pregnant women, the elderly and those with immuno-compromised conditions such as HIV/ AIDS to avoid eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood or eggs.

Listeria, Salmonella and Campylobacter can infect people who eat raw or undercooked poultry, seafood, meat, hotdogs or eggs. Listeria can infect through eating unwashed contaminated vegetables and fruit. E. coli bacteria in undercooked hamburger meat has caused major illness outbreaks. Toxoplasma, a parasite, can contaminate undercooked meat products and cause congenital infection. Other micro-organisms which contaminate food and cause illness include Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus.