TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health in this region has reiterated its warning to the people not to use firecrackers in celebrating New Year’s Eve.
This was made through Iwas-Paputok coordinator Josephine Ariza in the weekly press forum Express it at the Park on Saturday.
Ariza told media practitioners that there was a change in this year’s slogan of the health agency.
Instead of Iwas-Paputok, the health agency is now using APIR or Aksyon: Paputok Injury Reduction that also aims to reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by firecrackers/fireworks, to include indiscriminate firing of gun, firecracker ingestion, and firecracker related non-neonatal tetanus.
Based on the record of DOH last year, a total of 49 individuals in the region were injured due to firecracker related accidents, with two of them getting amputated.
The number of victims in 2010 is slightly lower than the 59 cases of firecracker related accidents cases, according to Ariza.
Ariza added that establishing a common firecracker area is one of the best way to mitigate accidents this holiday season, to include having a community fireworks display.
Moreover, that traditional “lantaka,” according to Ariza, is also not advisable to be used this holiday season as it uses chemical that is harmful not just to human health but also to the environment.
She advised the use of “torotot” as it is more affordable and safer but cautioned parents to check first the “torotot” and not to let young children use it.
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