Busted's Charlie Simpson rushes son to hospital as he suffers secondary drowning

20 July 2022, 13:03

Charlie Simpson has issued a warning to other parents around the dangers of secondary drowning. Picture: Instagram/Charlie Simpson

By Alice Dear

Charlie Simpson's son, Jago, was rushed to hospital during a family holiday where he stayed for three days after being diagnosed with secondary drowning.

Busted's Charlie Simpson has spoken openly about the "terrifying" moment his five-year-old son, Jago, was rushed to hospital for secondary drowning.

The musician shared his family's story on Instagram with the hopes that it could help others avoid a similar situation in the future.

Charlie, his wife and their children were on holiday when the hospital dash happened, however, he explained that at first nothing seemed to be wrong.

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He explained that one morning he was in the pool with his son, who he notes is a strong swimmer, when he [Jago] suddenly came up spluttering and coughing.

Charlie Simpson's son, Jago, was rushed to hospital hours after the incident in the pool. Picture: Instagram/Charlie Simpson

"At no point was he left unattended, it was momentary, nothing seemingly unusual for kids to experience", Charlie explained: "We got him out and he seemed fine and happy and was completely normal for the rest of the day."

However, during diner that night, Charlie and his wife noticed Jago had become lethargic and later he started projectile vomiting.

When a doctor came to see the young boy, he diagnosed him with food poisoning and told Charlie and Anna to put him to bed.

It was at this point Charlie remembered what had happened earlier that day in the pool and mentioned it to the doctor.

With that, the doctor's "demeanour changed" and he told the parents to take Jago to A&E immediately.

Charlie Simpson and his wife Anna were on holiday with their children when their son was diagnosed with secondary drowning. Picture: Instagram/Charlie Simpson

Charlie explained: "During the hour long journey to hospital, Jago’s condition deteriorated and he seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

"He was rushed through to have CT scans and X-Rays and to our absolute horror, we were told that he had water in his lungs and was minutes away from pneumonia."

Jago was diagnosed with secondary drowning and spent three days in the hospital.

Charlie said it was the "worst thing" he and his wife have ever experienced and that the "scariest" thing about the situation was that if he hadn't been taken to the hospital when he was, the "outcome could have been very different".

Charlie told fans it was the 'worst thing' his family had ever experienced. Picture: Instagram/Charlie Simpson

Charlie finished his message to fans by writing: "After doing a lot of research, secondary drowning is seemingly quite rare but even so, not talked about.

"It takes less than half a glass of inhaled water to drown. Symptoms can start as long as 72 hours after the event which can make them hard to diagnose. These include vomiting, fever, laboured breathing and lethargy.

He added: "I truly hope no one ever has to experience this but I hope to be able to raise some awareness of this frightening condition in case they do."

What is secondary drowning and is it the same as dry drowning?

Secondary drowning is similar to dry drowning in the way that they happen after an incident in the water, but they do have differences.

Secondary drowning and dry drowning are both caused by injuries that happen underwater, but while dry drowning sets in less than an hour after water is inhaled, secondary drowning can happen up to 48 hours after the incident.