Parents issue warning after four year old dies from secondary drowning one week after going swimming

The parents of a four-year-old boy who tragically died of secondary drowning, one week after going on a swimming trip with his family, have issued a warning for other parents so they can be aware of the symptoms.

Francisco Delgado, from Texas, went swimming with his family last week and complained of stomach pains shortly after getting out of the water.

He also vomited and had diarrhoea during the past week, but his parents thought it was just a common bug and he even started to feel better.

His dad, also named Francisco, said his son then complained of shoulder pain on Saturday morning when he woke up, and then went back to sleep.

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He woke a few hours later complaining of serious pain: 'Out of nowhere, he just woke up. He said, "ahhh". He took his last breath, and I didn't know what to do no more.'

Francisco was rushed to hospital, where he later died: 'I walked in. I could see him lying there. They were still working on him. I'm screaming. Let me just touch my baby. Maybe he needs his mama's touch,' Francisco's mum Tara Delgado said.

'His lungs were full of fluid. There was nothing else they could do for him.'

The family were told little Frankie, as he was called, died from secondary drowning, a rare medical condition that affects mostly children because of their size compared to an adult.

Secondary drowning happens when water gets into the lungs in small amounts, so it doesn't disable breathing right away.

Instead it sits on the lungs, affecting their ability to oxygenate blood, which eventually makes it harder and harder to breathe and can be fatal.

Symptoms of secondary drowning include coughing, chest pain, trouble breathing and fatigue.

Francisco's family are now sharing their son's story in a bid to make other parents aware of the condition.