Parents all across the nation have become alarmed after a report of the death of a 4-year-old boy from Texas who died from something most people probably aren’t aware even exists. It’s called “dry drowning,” and this rare but potentially deadly condition can cause someone to die even after they’ve left the water.

And we’re not talking minutes or hours later. The boy died almost a week after a family trip to Texas City, when he suddenly stopped breathing, showing symptoms that resembled a stomach bug for days, including diarrhea and vomiting.

Doctors later found fluid in the boy’s lungs and around the heart, and informed the family that dry drowning was the culprit. Dry drowning happens when a child nearly drowns, and if untreated, it can result in brain injury, respiratory problems, or death. And it can happen even if it only happens a few gulps of water in a pool.