Fewer firecracker-related injuries so far this year, says DOH

The number of victims injured by firecrackers is lower this year, according to a report by Chino Gaston on 24 Oras on Monday.

With only a few hours to go before the New Year, the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila has received only five people with firecracker-related injuries.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III attributed the decrease to President Rodrigo Duterte's executive order regulating the use of firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices, and an increase in public awareness about the dangers of the products.

"Unang una 'yung executive order ni Pangulong Duterte ang talagang tingin ko pinakamalaking dahilan kung bakit ito ay bumaba. Pwede rin kasi na mas takot nung binalik natin itong mga kagimbal-gimbal at nakakatakot na imahe, mga ltirato ng mga nadisgrasya, talagang yan yung pumasok sa pagiisip ng nakararami," he said.

According to data from the Department of Health (DOH), there were 53 such injuries during the period from December 20, 2018 to the current day, and included two cases of ingestion, 32 cases of burns, five amputations, and 19 eye injuries.

Duque, who visited som emedical centers in Metro Manila, said that there is ample staff, surgical equipment, and medicine to care for firecracker victims.

Doctors, however, continue to appeal to the public to refrain from using firecrackers and opt instead of a safer alternative to greet the New Year. — Jessica Bartolome/BM, GMA News