DOH reports first 2 fireworks-related injuries

MANILA, Philippines — About a week before the New Year, two cases of fireworks-related injuries were recorded by the Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH identified a four-year-old girl from Cagayan Valley and a 23-year-old male from Metro Manila as the first cases this year. The young girl was taken to  Southern Isabela Medical Center after sustaining a burn injury from kwitis.

The man was treated at the Philippine General Hospital. Both cases, according to the DOH, were passive or non-firecracker users.

The first such injuries were reported just as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced it is targeting zero firecracker-related injuries for the holiday season. 

The DILG has directed the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection to sustain the implementation of national and local policies that regulate the use of fireacrackers and pyrotechnic devices. 

“Let’s continue monitoring and upholding the laws regarding firecrackers. All we want is for everyone to be safe from danger and safely celebrating Christmas and the New Year,” said Interior Secretary Eduardo Año in a statement released in Filipino.

“If possible, avoid anything that can cause accidents. We can celebrate Christmas and New Year without putting our lives and limbs at risk,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a radio interview yesterday.

Año also urged local government units to ensure that fireworks-related ordinances are followed in their jurisdiction to continue the downtrend in the number of incidents in the past few years.  – With Romina Cabrera, Alexis Romero