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Schumer calls for investigation into spike in toddler drownings

The New York Daily News - 7/15/2018

July 15--The federal government should investigate why the number of toddler drownings, especially boys, has gone up, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should even consider boosting outreach efforts to educate parents before they leave the hospital with their newborns, said Schumer (D-N.Y.), who released a report detailing a spike in toddler drownings.

"I am blowing a lifeguard whistle, so to speak, on a dangerous trend that calls out for action," Schumer said at a news conference at John Jay Park on the Upper East Side.

According to the CDC, three children drown each day in the United States -- making drowning the leading cause of death for children younger than 5.

The number of those drowning deaths has gone up from 417 in 2014 to 463 in 2016, the latest figures show.

The majority of the latest recorded deaths -- 66% -- were boys.

"I believe this ratio of male-to-female drowning must be rigorously investigated by the CDC and that if this ratio is to improve, a robust federally led outreach plan must be put in place to better reach the parents of young toddler males," Schumer said.

On Long Island last summer, 3-year-old twin brothers drowned in a backyard pool filled with dark green water.

The boys, Nicholas and Anthony Aurilia, sneaked out of the house as their mother was sleeping.

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