DOHand 12 persons hurt by firecrackers as of Dec. 30 in Region 12

KORONADAL CITY -- The Department of Health in Region 12 has recorded 12 cases of firecracker related injuries as of December 30, health official today said. Jenny Ventura, focal person of DOH-12 campaign against firecrackers in an effort to prevent firecracker related injuries, of 11 of the victims were males while a lone woman was included in the list since monitoring began on December 21. She said the Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS), reported 12 cases of firecracker-related injuries in the provinces of North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal and Gen. Santos. Ventura said this number is 76 percent lower as compared to the same period last year. Eleven of the victims were active players of firecrackers while one was passive and their ages ranged from 5 years to 56 years. Most of the victims used piccolo, a banned firecracker. Two of the victims were from Sultan Kudarat, one in North Cotabato, five in South Cotabato, three in Saranggani and one in Gen. Santos City. Ventura said all of them were sent home after receiving medical treatment from various hospitals in the region. She also appealed to parents to remind their children not to play with firecrackers to save them from deadly injuries. In last year's monitoring by the health department, Ventura said the regional health office recorded 64 firecracker-related injuries in Region 12. Nationwide, DOH on Thursday reported 103 fireworks-related injuries since its monitoring began on December 21. One was a victim of stray bullet in Nueva Ecija. According to the department’s 'Aksyon Paputok' Injury Reduction (APIR) 2016 report, the figure is 61 percent lower compared to the five-year average from 2011 to 2015, and is 49 percent lower compared to the same period last year. The youngest victim was 4 years old. Most of the victims suffered injuries to their hands, 13 to the eye, four to the arm, three to the abdomen, and one was a case of firecracker ingestion. Common causes of injuries were ‘piccolo’, improvised cannon called ‘boga’, ‘whistle bomb’, kwitis’, and the rest by ‘luces’ and other firecrackers. The monitoring of firecracker-related injuries, which ends on Jan. 5, is done annually as part of efforts to discourage the public from lighting firecrackers to achieve zero casualty during the holiday season.