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Wednesday, December 28, 2005
1st victim of firecrackers noted
FOUR days before the New Year celebration, a 26-year-old man, who ingested several watusi firecrackers, was the first casualty of the firecracker-related incidents.
Records from the National Epidemiology Center (NEC) of the Department of Health (DOH) identified the victim as Ranillo Salazar of Caloocan City, an alleged mentally deranged. Salazar died of a poisonous substance in watusi at the Jose Reyes Medical Center (JRMC) last December 22.
Aside from Salazar, the NEC also recorded four other cases of watusi ingestion involving young children but all of them are in stable condition. A surveillance report of the agency also confirmed three cases of stray bullet injuries.
On firecracker related cases, there had been 78 cases recorded nationwide with the National Capital Region (NCR) having the highest cases of injuries from December 21 to 27, 2005.
Eric Tayag, officer-in-charge of the NEC, said 90 percent of the victims admitted in various hospitals are firecrackers related cases. "Fifty percent of the victims directly handled firecrackers, 25 percent were onlookers and 25 percent were passersby," he said.
He added that 23 percent of the firecracker incidents incurred eye injuries wherein most of the victims were under the influence of liquor.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they expect cases of firecracker related injuries to increase as the New Year celebration approaches. (MSN/Sunnex)
(December 28, 2005 issue)
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