Symptoms of dry drowning every parent should know

You may think your child is safe once he or she leaves the water -- but for some, fatalities can occur even 24 hours after swimming.

As the summer months heat up, it's important for parents and caregivers to be extra vigilant about water safety, including taking precautions against the little-known condition called dry drowning. It can kill up to 3500 people per year, including this four-year-old boy. And while dry drowning can affect adults, it's "more common" in children because of the small size of their bodies, said WebMD.

See the symptoms of dry drowning below:

According to Parents.com, dry drowning accounts for only about "2 percent of drowning incidents" -- but symptoms can emerge after the child leaves the water. Parents.com explains that while "dry" and "secondary" are often used interchangeably, each may bring different symptoms.

Unlike wet drowning -- which happens when "submerged" underwater, filling the lungs with water -- water never reaches the lungs during dry drowning. "Instead, breathing in water causes your child's vocal cords to spasm and close up after he's already left the pool, ocean, or lake," according to WebMd. Since the airways are closed off, breathing is compromised. Symptoms occur soon after the child leaves the water.

Alternatively, secondary drowning is when water reaches and builds up in the lungs, causing pulmonary edema and making it difficult to breathe. Signs of secondary drowning are evident later, within one to 24 hours after the child leaves the water.

"When they first get out of the water, they may cough and then will normally be okay. As the day goes on, breathing gets a bit faster and just progresses. They will be working harder to breathe, with the belly moving in and out or the ribs showing the strain," said Dr. Ray Pitetti, an associate medical director of emergency pediatric medicine, to the Daily Mail.

However, each is equally dangerous, making it all the more important for parents to look out for these symptoms even after an incident occurs. If a parent notices these aforementioned signs, they should either call their pediatrician or 911.

How can you prevent dry and secondary drowning? Keep an eye on the kids, install fences around the pool and schedule swimming lessons. Plus, CPR is a life-saving skill to have -- and educate other parents on dry drowning dangers.