By Civ Alonzo-Cruz
In just a few days, everyone is going to welcome the year with hope and surely, a bang, amid the pandemic.
With the lighting of firecrackers a hard habit for Filipinos to break, the Department of Health (DOH) continuously urged the public to ditch firecrackers for safer alternatives in celebrating the New Year’s Eve through their “Ligtas Christmas, Healthy Pilipinas” campaign.
Firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices are always a part of the Filipino tradition in welcoming the New Year. People believed that firecrackers can ward off bad luck and could welcome prosperity and good luck to families. It’s been passed on for generations since the colonial era and Filipinos were having a hard time ditching it.
The government knew that people would set them off anyway, so the DOH continues to remind everyone to have a safe celebration by issuing safety tips in the event of injuries caused by firecrackers.
The following are the DOH’s first aid tips for firecracker-related injuries:
- Wash the injured part of the body with soap and clean water.
- Wrap the wound using clean cloth and bring the victim to the hospital immediately.
- Do not apply toothpaste to the wound or burn.
- If the eyes are injured, wash them out through clean running water for 15 minutes. Have the victim close their eyes. Cover the eyes with a cloth to prevent further scratching of the corneas.
- If the victim has swallowed a firecracker or its elements, have them drink raw egg whites instead of forcing the victim to vomit. A frequently asked question (FAQ) from the health department recommends eight to 12 egg whites for an adult and six to eight for a child.
- If a person experiences troubled breathing from inhaling firecrackers’ smoke, keep him away from the area and let him smell fresh air. Bring the victim to the hospital if the condition worsens.
The DOH also listed hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) that serve as the department’s Poison and Trauma Centers that people can go to in case of firecracker-related emergencies.
The health department also gave some alternative bonding activities for families in the New Year revelry so that they can still celebrate happily, even without using firecrackers and pyrotechnic devices. These are the following tips:
- Families can participate in the Community Fireworks Display yearly conducted by their local government units (LGUs)
- Use alternative noise and light producing devices like kitchen utensils, tambourines, sound systems, lightsticks, horn from vehicles, and other things that can produce loud sounds.
- The DOH is strongly discouraging people from using “torotot” to prevent possible transmission of virus through saliva.
- Watch New Year parties online or on TV.
Participate in virtual gatherings instead of coming over to houses of relatives to prevent possible transmission of COVID-19 virus.
According to the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center Fireworks Injury Registry, the total number of firecracker-related injuries in the country from December 21-29 is at 25, an increase of 108% fireworks-related injuries from the 12 cases recorded last year for the same period.
Around 36% of the cases were from Western Visayas, followed by Ilocos Region, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and National Capital Region (NCR) with 12% each.
Most of the injuries were among minors aged nine to 16. About 28% of the reported cases required amputation, and the leading causes of injuries were prohibited firecrackers such as boga, 5-Star, and piccolo. -ag
