MANILA, Philippines – The Health department recorded all time low fireworks-related incidents as Filipinos welcome 2017.
Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rossel-Ubial on January1, reported 350 cases “a 60 percent lower than the five-year average from 2011 to 2016.”
She added “This is lower than the 5-year average of 2011-2015 and lower than in the previous year.”
The 350 cases reported by the Department of Health’s 50 sentinel sites all over the country.
Majority of the victims or 58% of the cases are below 15 years old.
Most of the cases – 211 or 60% of the total as of January 1 morning – were reported in the National Capital Region.
In Metro Manila, 28% of the cases were from Manila, 23% were from Quezon City, and 11% from Marikina.
But the Health Department is saddened with the case of 15-year-old girl from Malabon who was hit by a stray bullet while watching fireworks on new year’s eve.
The patient, confined at the Jose Reyes Medical Center in Manila, is currently in a “deep coma,” aided by a ventilator. She could not be operated on, since the bullet is lodged deep in her head.
In 2016, the Health department recorded a total of 932 firecracker-related injuries between December 21, 2015 and January 5, 2016.
President Rodrigo Duterte was set to sign an executive order banning any forms of firecrackers or pyrotechnics in the celebration of Christmas and New year but opted to defer the signing as he considered the preparation of the factory owners and the thousands of workers involved.
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