Letter to Director Redfield - CDC Must Quickly Investigate What The Causes Are & Develop Outreach Program To Parents

Letter

Dear Director Redfield:

The latest CDC data finds that children ages 0 to 4 have the highest drowning rates of any age group, and that rate is growing. Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children under five and three children die from drowning every single day in the United States. Further, this data shows that boys drown at almost double the rate of the girls, indicating that gender-specific behavior and activities plays a major role in drowning accidents.

I request that the CDC investigate the main causes of drowning in this young population, as well study why boys are so much more susceptible to drowning than girls. Based on these findings, I urge the CDC to collaborate with state and local health departments to develop a community-based outreach, education and prevention campaign. These are tragic and often preventable deaths, but parents need to be educated as to how to prevent them. This is particularly critical for the parents of boy toddlers, who may be unaware that their son is at greater risk of drowning. I am confident that with a concerted effort we can reverse this trend and better equip parents and communities with the knowledge they need to prevent young children from drowning.

I look forward to working with you on this vital issue.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer

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