DOH-8 reminds public of firecrackers law

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The Department of Health-Region 8 has intensified this week its public awareness campaign on Executive Order 28 (Law Providing Regulation and Control of the use of Firecrackers and other Pyrotechnic Devices), issued by President Rodrigo Duterte on June 20, this year.

In a press conference, John Paul Roca, DOH-8 information officer, asked for media’s support to drumbeat the department’s Iwas Paputok program now that New Year Day celebration is only a couple of days ahead. "We are continually monitoring firecracker-related incidents (alongside) the Iwas Paputok program," he said.

As of morning of December 27, the DOH-8 has recorded six cases—mostly in Eastern Samar, including Dolores and Salcedo towns, and one in Tacloban City where the passive victim was accidentally hit by backyard-made "lantaka." The Salcedo incident, the most severe of the six incidents, involved the use of whistle bomb, Roca said.

Based on DOH-8 statistics, 25 percent of these kinds of incident happen on December 31, while 28 percent on January 1, said Roca, adding that he hope there will be lesser of these this time around. So far, as of yesterday morning, the DOH-8 received no report of stray-bullet incidents, he said.

Roca also told the media that all patients, if incidents happen, must be treated in any public medical facility such as the DOH-supervised Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC). "It is the right of every person to be treated in the hospital," he said.

However, Roca reminded that if the injury is not serious, the patient should not be immediately brought to the EVRMC but instead to the district hospital where the incident occurred.

Roca further reminded the public to stay healthy as they celebrate the long yuletide holidays. "Avoid stress buying, practice proper food preparation, and serve nutritious food during the media noche," he said.

"We do not prevent you from eating, but do it in moderation and if you are taking maintenance medicines, drink them," he said, as he also warned against ingesting too much sugar and fats if one has health conditions related to diabetes and hypertension.

Meanwhile, Maria Elena Joy Villarosa, a focal person of DOH-8, in the same press-con disclosed that the Dengvaxia incidents are isolated within the DOH vaccination program.

She said that the child who was injected a first dose of Dengvaxia was already discharged from the hospital after having been admitted at the Samar Provincial Hospital and then brought to EVRMC for monitoring.

The Philippine Pedriatrics Society chapter in Eastern Visayas and the DOH-8 are now devising a mechanism on how the patient injected with Dengvaxia will be treated, Villarosa said.

Roca clarified also that there is no truth to talks that once the 30-month effectiveness of Dengvaxia is over, the patient injected with it will automatically get sick with dengue. "You can only get sick with Dengue if you are bitten by a mosquito," he added.

Villarosa reminded the public that once a person manifest or develops flu-like symptoms, he should immediately see a doctor. She added that the DOH continues with its other immunization programs, especially those for newborns, infants and toddlers and school-aged children.  (FREEMANNEWS)