Text and photos by VINCENT GO
THE belief of driving away bad luck with firecrackers has resulted in more than 400 firecracker related injuries in the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH). Health Secretary Enrique Ona said 454 injuries were caused firecracker blasts, while 18 were from stray bullets.
The number represents a slight reduction from last year’s figures, but the DOH campaign to get parents to keep their children away from firecrackers was not as effective as officials hoped it would be. The goal was to reduce by 50 percent the number of injuries in 2011, which reached 546.
Of the total number of injured, 177 were aged between 1 and 10 while 129 came from the 11-20 age group, Ona said. Victims started to pour in within the first hour of 2012 at the emergency room of Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC) in Manila.
