by Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA
MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported eight more fireworks-related injuries (FWRIs) in Western Visayas, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the National Capital Region (NCR).
The FWRIs were recorded by sentinel hospitals from 6 a.m. on Wednesday until 5:59 a.m. on Thursday. Four cases were from Western Visayas, two from Cagayan Valley and one each from Central Luzon and NCR.
They involved males aged between two and 50 years and played with fireworks banned by the government.
Six of the eight additional cases were reported on time. They suffered from burns without amputation, were given antibiotics, and sent home after the treatment.
Meanwhile, the remaining two cases were reported late. One was due to blast injury which resulted in amputation and the other one was due to blast injury with no amputation.
The health department began its fireworks-related injuries surveillance on Friday.
To date, there are a total of 32 FWRIs recorded. This figure includes the two cases of fireworks’ ingestion reported.
The six-year-old boy in Tondo, Manila who ingested on Tuesday the contents of a “pili” firecracker remains confined at the Philippine General Hospital.
The DOH said the current FWRI statistics is 50 percent less than in the same period last year, and 77 percent lower than the five-year average.
There are eight FWRIs recorded in the NCR, four in Central Luzon, nine in Western Visayas, four in Central Visayas, two in Zamboanga Peninsula, and one in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Under Executive Order No. 28, the use of firecrackers shall be confined to community fireworks display to minimize the risk of injuries and casualties.
The DOH also warned the public against illegal fireworks, such as watusi, piccolo, atomic triangle, large Judas 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.
Among the banned fireworks, Boga caused the highest number of injuries followed by Kwitis, Piccolo and Triangle.
