All hospitals under code white alert

MANILA, Philippines — All hospitals in the country are now under Code White Alert in line with the upcoming festivities or events welcoming the New Year, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

This early, the DOH-Epidemiology Bureau has already recorded 36 fireworks-related injuries (FWRI), which is 44 percent higher compared to the 25 cases recorded over the same period last year.

It also recorded four new FWRI cases from 61 DOH sentinel hospitals from Wednesday morning to early morning yesterday.

Of the 36 cases, 33 or 92 percent involved males. Nineteen of them (53 percent) sustained eye injuries while two (six percent) had blast or burn injuries with amputation.

The DOH-Epidemiology Bureau report also showed 23 injuries (64 percent) occurring at home and 13 (36 percent) on the streets. At least four of the cases (11 percent) needed hospitalization.

It has not recorded any fireworks-related death or ingestion.
“We gave instructions not just to DOH hospitals but to all hospitals in the country so that they are more prepared to attend to these people with injuries caused by firecrackers,” said Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire at a press briefing yesterday.

As to victims of stray bullets, Vergeire gave assurance that the country’s hospitals are capable of attending to these cases, saying “we have specialists and there are available operating rooms in our hospitals so management of these cases can be done.”

In case of ingestion of firecrackers, the DOH said that there are a number of poison management and control centers that have been established not only in Metro Manila but also in other areas of the country and that all have been placed under alert.

“Our hospitals are now under code white alert. This means all were instructed to prepare and have a special team to address the concerns of people who are going to our hospitals with injuries due to firecrackers,” Vergeire said.

She reminded the public to just use “torotot” or trumpet for merrymaking during New Year’s Eve and to not share it with anyone else “as it could also become a source of (virus) transmission.”

Meanwhile, in San Fernando City, Pampanga, the DOH Center for Health Development for Ilocos region reported 10 FWRI from Dec. 21 to Dec. 27 – seven from Pangasinan province, two from La Union and one from Ilocos Sur.

Dr. Rheuel Bobis, DOH-CHD-1 medical officer, most of the victims, are children aged six to 10 years. Seven of them sustained injuries from boga (improvised cannon) and three from kwitis.

In Pangasinan, the Philippine National Police confiscated yesterday at least 63 pieces of boga from Alaminos City and from Pozorrubio and Laoac towns. Of that number, 39 were from Pozorrubio.

A 15-year-old boy was reported to have suffered eye injuries after peeping through the other end of the cannon while accidentally clicking the detonator. – Emmanuel Tupas, Ric Sapnu, Cesar Ramirez, Ramon Efren Lazaro