VDH urges parents to take safety pledge as child drownings continue to rise across Virginia
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is ramping up pool safety warnings as the number of child drownings continues to rise across the state. More children under five have drowned this year than they have in any of the past five years.
As of Monday, July 21, nine children under the age of five have died in swimming pool drownings in 2025. Five of those deaths happened in Central Virginia.
The most recent incident occurred earlier in the month, when a toddler in Henrico County was found unresponsive after being pulled from a pool.
“When you see an increase in these reportings, it’s even more devastating -- not only to the families, but also to all of us at the agency working to try to prevent this,” said VDH spokesperson Briana Bill.
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In response, health officials are encouraging families to take the “Pool Safely Pledge,” a national commitment to follow several life-saving practices.
“The ultimate goal with this pool safety pledge is to engage parents and children in an active commitment to stay safe while playing in and around the water,” Bill said.
The pledge asks parents to:
- Designate an adult to actively supervise children in or near water
- Ensure children know how to swim
- Learn CPR
- Remove portable pool ladders when not in use
- Make sure pools have a proper fence and gate and anti-entrapment drain covers.
VDH also offers a version of the pledge for children to learn how to stay safe, themselves
“Whether it’s a river or a lake or a swimming pool, all of it comes with risk,” Bill said. “And the best way to mitigate that risk is to be aware of what that risk is and how to protect yourself and your families.”
While VDH can’t confirm the cause of the spike in drownings, Bill said the recent heat could be playing a role.
“One of the most frequent things folks do when it’s hot is to go play in the water to cool off,” she said. “So that might be a contributing factor. I can’t say for sure. But the more people that are participating in aquatic activities, the more incidents that could occur.”
