DOH records four more firecracker-related injuries

Four more cases of fireworks related injuries (FWRI) have been reported to the Department of Health two days before Christmas. This brings to five the total number of victims from December 21 to 6 a.m. Sunday.

The five victims were all male, ages six to 12 who used boga, kwitis, five star and camara.

According to DOH Undersecretary Rolando Domingo, the first case occurred last December 21 in Nueva Ecija where a 12-year-old boy fell victim to five star. His left middle finger was amputated.

Three other victims also sustained a similar injury but did not need amputation. Another victim had an eye injury.

Three of the five boys were already sent home, while two remained in the hospital.

The annual surveillance program for FWRI runs from December 21 to January 4 of the following year.

Although the DOH expects the number of FWRI to increase as New Year nears, Domingo says there has been a downward trend for the past years. A total of 440 cases were recorded in 2017, a drop from the more than 600 cases in 2016.

Domingo appeals to the public to refrain from using fireworks and simply watch community fireworks displays as ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte in his Executive Order number 28.

According to the Philippine National Police, illegal fireworks include watusi, piccolo, super lolo, atomic triangle, large Juda’s belt, large bawang, pillbox, boga, Goodbye Philippines, Bin Laden, mother rockets, lolo thunder, coke-in-can, Kwitom, atomic bomb, five star, pla-pla, giant whistle bomb, kabasi, and other unlabeled and imported firecrackers.

Jovenson Ong, president of the Philippine Fireworks Association, says the government must strictly monitor the smuggling of illegal fireworks such as piccolo, which causes about 80% of the total number of FWRI. —LBG, GMA News