United States president Donald Trump has been making sweeping cuts and budget changes to government initiatives since he took office in January. In April, the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was the subject of some of these cuts, particularly the organization’s Injury Center.
While the CDC is known for investigating and releasing information about illnesses and outbreaks, e.g. information about the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also responsible for tracking and reporting public health concerns, such as accidental drownings.
According to the CDC, drowning is the number one cause of death in children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death in children ages 5-14. The CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is the department that is responsible for investigating and releasing this information, and according to PBS, the specific team responsible for drowning prevention was eliminated.
Drowning accidents have seen a massive increase in the last few years, potentially due to lasting effects from the pandemic. The drowning prevention team had been investigating these trends and testing theories for potential causes, such as reduced access to swim lessons and lifeguard shortages, before the cuts.
This team was not only responsible for investigating and analyzing accidental drownings, but they also worked to reduce drownings through public health campaigns on drowning prevention and through funding low-cost swimming lessons.
States will still be responsible for reporting drownings to the CDC, but nobody will be designated to analyze these accidents or any trends that might appear. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services reportedly clarified to POLITICO that HHS will continue to support drowning prevention efforts, but did not clarify what that support would entail.
Having lifeguards at popular swim areas, keeping track of drowning statistics, and ensuring swimming lessons for all will help towards preventing drownings.
This is a priority as no one wants to have preventable deaths in this country.
I have no idea why the comments are so political, but as someone who loves water, the need for swimming is quite critical for survival. However, I am unsure to why the elimination of the drowning prevention team at CDC is such a big topic since it does not affect swimming at all.
If anything, the elimination of the team is more beneficial since the money saved can be directed towards immediate measures for drowning prevention.
I can’t comment on this without sounding political- but I don’t really care about politics. I do care that people have access to safe pools and I do care that people learn to swim. It is the only sport that, as a novice, can save your own life, or someone you love.
To finish this thought: we need an organization with some gravitas (CDC or Otherwise) that’s doing the work to prove it, analytically. If we’re losing that group, it is a big hole to fill.
I hope someone does.
You want to know what happened to democracy and decency? This. What is this virtue you signal of being apolitical? Would you not comment on Hitler and his thoughts on the jews because that would be political in the 1930s?
This is literally about policy. It is literally politics. Youndont want to discuss politics here!? Ok buy, and I hope you like being a serf. JFC
Lordy. If you care about things like people learning to swim and access to safe pools, you DO care about politics.
Continued effort by admin to lower life expectancy in US
Are we great yet?
I know people want all the “feel good” stuff, but the drowning rate per 100k is the same now as it was 25 years ago. Is drowning tragic and preventable? Of course. But if this stat hasn’t changed in decades, I don’t know what purpose the CDC has in funding studies and prevention. We are $36T in debt and run almost $2T deficits every year…we need big cuts if this country is going to be around for your children and grandchildren.
Completely agree. If the CDC is not responsible for teaching swimming, nor is it part of lifeguarding, what good does it do?
Great question! I’m glad you asked. Do you want to know why we have data to show how the nation’s drowning rate has or hasn’t changed? It’s because of the CDC’s data collection and analysis efforts. (Side note: the statistic that WestCoastRefugee cites is incorrect — the global drowning rate in fact decreased by 38% in the past 25 years).
Also, as the article states, the CDC team “was not only responsible for investigating and analyzing accidental drownings, but they also worked to reduce drownings through public health campaigns on drowning prevention and through funding low-cost swimming lessons.” The team partnered with organizations such as YMCA of the USA and the USA Swimming Foundation to streamline nationwide drowning prevention… Read more »
All the money “saved” by a cut like this one will go directly to the 0.01% richest people in America. Go take a closer look at the “big beautiful bill.”
I’ll concede every point you make about drowning here, just for the sake of argument.
Any consideration the rate might be *higher* today without those studies and prevention??
So that money…would prevent a higher rate of people dying??
Which is…good?
(Also anything this saves is immediate wiped out by that bill they’re tryna pass. But it’s not about saving money, you just think it is.)
The dumbest, most cruel people we have are in charge.
Can’t say we didn’t have it coming, but goddamn does it suck to see it.
Ridiculous