BATON ROUGE — Drowning is the third leading cause of injury-related death for children in Louisiana.

According to Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, drownings occur in young children who don't yet know how to swim and in children aged one to 14 who are not properly supervised.

Abraham said that the key to curbing this rate of drowning deaths is to start by enrolling children in swimming lessons at an early age to ensure they learn essential water skills and safety awareness.

Protecting pool areas with fences and self-latching gates is also important, as is active supervision.

Wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket is also advised for children boating or participating in open-water activities, Abraham added.

Abraham also released a PSA outlining his tips to avoid childhood drowning that can be watched here.