More than 70 injured by ’crackers thus far, says DOH

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health said Friday it had listed at least 73 cases of firecracker-related injuries since Dec. 21, many of them caused by piccolo, a small and colorful firecracker that appeals mostly to children.

Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin said the figure, culled a few days before the New Year’s revelry, was 55 percent lower than what was recorded during the same period last year and 42 percent lower than the five-year average from 2009 to 2013.

Firecrackers. FILE PHOTO

At least five of the cases that were recorded as of Friday morning required amputation while nine cases involved eye injuries. Majority or 81 percent sustained injuries without amputation, reported Garin.

Out of the 73 cases, 59 of them sustained injuries from lighting up a piccolo, a cheap firecracker lit like a matchstick. This type of firecracker has always been recorded as the top cause of accidents during the holiday merrymaking, followed by kwitis, a rocket-type firecracker.

Earlier, Garin appealed to parents and caregivers to be firm in preventing their children from using firecrackers to greet the New Year, asking them to immediately seize and stow firecrackers in a place inaccessible to children.

“The fun from lighting up firecrackers is as fleeting as their sparks. Serious injuries and amputation caused by firecracker explosions have life-changing consequences…life is precious, stay away from firecrackers,” said Garin.