With the yuletide season looming, the Department of Health has called attention to its Oplan Iwas Paputok campaign in Davao Region to avoid and eradicate casualties of firecracker injuries.
Assistant Health Secretary and Regional Director for Davao Region Abdullah Dumamah Jr. said on Monday the agency is encouraging the public to use alternative means of celebrating Christmas and New Year.
He added that the public could avoid using firecrackers by blowing trumpets, playing music or even visiting community firework displays.
“We can still make noise. We can use trumpets or car horns, and we can clap, or use any noise creating gadgets,” he said.
Dumamah explained that there are other ways to celebrate Christmas and New Year and that firecrackers may be eliminated from the celebration.
According to DOH statistics, there were 932 firework-related injuries recorded nationwide and tallied a total of 125 injuries in Davao Region from December 21, 2015 to January 5, 2016.
“According to our data, 385 or 42 percent of the reported injuries nationwide were caused by piccolo while 103 or 11 percent of the casualties were coming from kwitis—whose victims were often children aged 10 to 14 years old,” Dumamah said.
Most incidents were monitored on Davao Region were from Davao del Norte with 92 recorded injuries, followed by Compostella Valley with 26 injuries, Davao del Sur with four, Davao Oriental with three, and none from Davao City.
DOH – Davao Region has also recorded two stray bullets and the victims were admitted at the Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City.
As means for action, the DOH has prepared posters and short videos with graphic images of firework-related injuries.
The department plans to post them on the main thoroughfares and public areas to further increase public awareness.
“I would like to advise the parents and guardians not to allow their children to use firecrackers,” Dumamah added.
