MDA Issues Summer Safety Guide to Protect Children from Heat and Drowning

As the summer vacation begins and temperatures rise, Magen David Adom has issued a special safety guide for parents, warning about dehydration, heatstroke, drowning, sun exposure injuries, and home accidents among children and teenagers. The organization said it expects more heat-related and water-related incidents during the summer months and wants to reduce the risks and make the holiday safer for children.

MDA said dehydration can develop quickly, especially in infants and young children. Early warning signs include increased thirst, fatigue, weakness, headaches, dry mouth, reduced urination, dizziness, and sometimes nausea and vomiting. In severe cases, confusion, drowsiness, and loss of consciousness can appear. Children are more vulnerable than adults because their bodies regulate heat less effectively, they lose fluids faster, and they do not always notice or report thirst during play, sports, or long stays at the beach or pool.

The guidance urges parents to make sure children drink water regularly throughout the day, even if they do not ask for it, and to avoid prolonged sun exposure during the hottest hours. MDA also recommends hats, sunscreen, light and bright clothing, shade, air-conditioned spaces, and carrying a water bottle whenever leaving home. Parents are told to watch for unusual tiredness, weakness, or headaches.

MDA also warned that drowning remains a major danger, especially for children under 5, and can happen within seconds and without shouting for help. The advice is to keep children within arm’s reach and in continuous sight near any body of water. MDA director general Eli Bin said, “A single second of inattention is enough to exact a heavy price in human lives,” adding that most accidents happen at home and around it, so parents need to be especially involved during the vacation period.