There’s no such thing as dry drowning, doctors say: ‘This whole thing has totally been over-hyped’

Chicago Tribune
 
June 11, 2018, 11:40 a.m.
 

As kids cannonball into summer pools and swim in Lake Michigan, parents keep a watchful eye to make sure they’re safe.

But physicians and water safety experts say one worry — so-called “dry” or “secondary drowning” — may be on the minds of parents when it shouldn’t be, and shifts focus from real concerns.

“Everyone needs to calm down,” said Dr. Peter Wernicki, member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. “This whole thing has totally been over-hyped by social media and people who are not knowledgeable on the subject.”

With summer swim season beginning, tales appear on Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, typically involving a child who was rescued from the water, or gulped down a mouthful, and then stops breathing hours — or even days — later.  READ THE FULL ARTICLE