West Visayas records 3 fireworks-related injuries

REGIONAL

ILOILO CITY — Six days before New Year’s Eve, the Department of Health (DOH) 6 (Western Visayas) has reported three fireworks-related injuries in the region.

In an interview Tuesday, Dr. May Ann Sta. Lucia, DOH-6 Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP) regional coordinator, said all three cases were reported last December 22, involving 10- to 13-year-old boys who played with boga and camara at home. “Boga is an illegal firecracker while camara is legal,” Sta. Lucia said.

Two of the incidents happened in the town of Alimodian, and the other in the town of Tigbauan, all in Iloilo province.

Sta.Lucia said two of the victims suffered eye injuries while one had dislocation on his left thumb due to blast injury.

All of them had been released from the hospitals after receiving treatment, she said.

The DOH here began monitoring injuries from fireworks last December 21.

“We hope that our cases will drop again this year because of the ban on fireworks, especially in residential areas and highly populated areas,” she said.

Sta. Lucia said they are continuously strengthening their campaign against the use of firecrackers through information dissemination.

They already distributed posters in the entire Negros Occidental and they will post more on the entire Panay Island starting December 27 to encourage the public, especially children, not to use firecrackers.

Sta. Lucia said the region recorded 98 fireworks-related injuries last year, which was 62 percent lower than the 164 cases recorded in 2016.

She encouraged the public to celebrate the incoming New Year’s Eve safely by using horns (“torotot”) and other noisemakers.

The DOH here will continue monitoring fireworks-related injuries until Jan. 5, 2019.

All hospitals in the region have been on “code white” alert (on call) since December 21 until January 4. (PNA)