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[av_heading heading=’Most cases in NegOcc; nationwide numbers down, too’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Saturday, January 7, 2017
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ILOILO City – Injuries caused by firecracker blast in Western Visayas have decreased.
The 192 cases recorded from Dec. 21, 2016 to Jan. 5, 2017 were 29-percent lower than the 269 during the 2015-2016 monitoring period, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
If the figures were any indication, the Health department and other participating agencies succeeded in the campaign to lower the number of blast injuries and against firecracker use in general.
No deaths related to firecracker use were recorded during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 monitoring periods.
“We have no stray bullet victims” either, said Dr. May Ann Sta. Lucia, regional coordinator for Violence and Injury Prevention Program.
Among the injuries, 42 were recorded in Capiz, 34 in Iloilo City, 21 in Aklan, 20 in Iloilo province, and one each in Guimaras and Antique.
The DOH Region 6 also monitored injuries in Negros Occidental, which topped all the other local governments mentioned with 73 cases.
Negros Occidental was under Region 6 before it was merged with the adjacent Negros Oriental to form the Negros Island Region.
On New Year’s Eve alone, the DOH Region 6 recorded 28 firecracker-related injuries.
Ninety-five percent of the total victims were males, most of whom aged 6 to 10 years old. Majority of the injured were active users and had suffered blast burns and eye injuries, said Sta. Lucia.
She attributed the drop in cases to the DOH’s intensified campaign against firecracker use during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Among the agencies that helped were the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Fire Protection, she said.
Sta. Lucia also acknowledged the help of the press and the impact of the Oplan Iwas Paputok advertisement on television.
Meanwhile, across the Philippines, the DOH recorded 630 firecracker-related injuries with no deaths as of 6 a.m. on Jan. 6.
Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said the number was 292 cases, or 32-percent lower than last year’s 922, and beat the country’s record-low of 720 cases in 2008.
Of the total cases, 627 were wounded in firecracker explosions, while three victims were downed by firecracker ingestion.
Among the culprits were prohibited firecrackers such as piccolo and five-star, which caused 192 and 32 injuries, respectively, Bayugo said.
Even with the reduced number of injuries, the DOH will continue to push for an executive order banning individual firecracker use.
Also, “we will foster community fireworks display in the [local governments],” Bayugo said. (With a report from ABS-CBN News/PN)
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