19 November 2007 – Health

Today on Sakhisizwe we spoke to Nelmarie Du Toit – Assistant Director at the Child Prevention Foundation at the Red Cross Hospital. She told us a bit more about drowning prevention. Its summer time, the holidays are around the corner, the children will be roaming around beaches. A research conducted by the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (NIMSS) indicates that there are 229 deaths resulting from drowning. The research was conducted in four metropolitan areas. Nelmarie told us more about the preventative measures. For more information contact (021) 685 5208 or visit www.childsafe.org.za

TIPS ON HOW TO PREVENT DROWNING
· Never leave a child unsupervised near water as it only takes 30 seconds for a small child to drown in 5cm water.
· There must always be safety nets covering swimming pools. Safety nets, fences and tubes are not necessarily life saving but can be helpful with adult supervision.
· Do not swim on beaches where no lifesavers are on duty.
· Never swim under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Pic: www.accessclarkcounty.com

Dr Sabs Abdool-Gaffar – A Pulmonologist joined us to talk about Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. People who have COPD have difficulty breathing because they develop smaller air passageways and have partially destroyed alveoli. Dr Abdool-Gaffar explained more. For more information you can contact the COPD Education Group by sending an email to info@copd.co.za or visit www.copd.co.za