Drowning is suffocation that results from being submerged in water or another fluid. Near-drowning is the term for surviving such suffocation.

The number of near-drownings in the United States is hard to estimate because not all incidents are reported, but estimates range from 15,000-70,000. Nearly half of all drownings and near-drownings involve children less than four years old, and 60-90% of drownings in this age group are in home swimming pools. Teenage boys also face a heightened risk of drowning and near-drowning, because of their tendency to behave recklessly and use drugs and alcohol (drugs and alcohol are implicated in 40-50% of teenage drownings). At all ages, males are more likely than females to drown, possibly because they are not supervised as closely.

Not all drownings and near-drownings occur because a nonswimmer accidentally ventures into deep water. Many are a result of some other event such as a...