Fewer firecracker-related injuries in Central Visayas

CEBU, Philippines  - Fewer firecracker-related injuries were recorded in Region 7 this year compared to last year, according to data by the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of Department of Health 7 said.

The DOH recorded 36 firecrackers related injuries from December 24 until 8am last January 1 in Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental. Thirty incidents occurred in Cebu – 12 in Cebu City, three in Mandaue City, five in Lapu-Lapu City, one in Lilo-an, two in Carcar, five in Talisay, one in Naga and one in Balamban while three incidents each occurred in Bohol and Negros Oriental.

All cases were blast burns with no amputation necessary. Unconfirmed cases of stray bullets were also reported in Cebu City, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu. The DOH commended the province of Siquijor for zero case of firecracker injury.

Last year, it recorded 57 injuries from nine hospitals in the region, 46 of which were in Cebu, five in Bohol and six were in Negros Oriental.

There were also three fatalities during a Christmas Eve fire in 2009 in Mandaue City. The fourth fatality was caused by an accidentally fired “Lantaka” in Tangke, Talisay City. The number of stray bullet victims last year has reached five.

RESU has ranked Kwitis, Whistle Bomb and Traingle as the top three injury causing firecrackers in the region this year.

About 54 percent of the victims got their injuries for actively playing with the firecrackers while the rest were only accidentally hit.

Dr. Rennan Cimafranca, regional epidemiologist, said the drop in the number of cases of firecracker-related injuries this year may be attributed to the intensive campaign of the DOH, local government units, and other concerned agencies against the use of firecrackers.

Financial crisis may also have forced the consumers to refrain from buying explosives.

Cimafranca said that next year, they will focus their efforts in monitoring tetanus cases that are firecracker related.

He said that in some hospitals, tetanus cases from firecracker injuries were recorded under the category of tetanus infection, which makes their record a little inaccurate.

Next year, they will also regulate the size of “fountain firecrackers” after they observed that this type of firecracker is actually hazardous to children with some fountain firecrackers taller than kids five years old and below. — (FREEMAN)