COTABATO CITY -- A total of 18 persons, half were from Cotabato City, were injured by firecrackers during the recent Christmas to New Year revelry, the Department of Health (DOH)-Soccsksargen on Sunday said.
Jenny Ventura, focal person of the DOH-Soccsksargen firecracker injure monitoring office, said South Cotabato has the highest number of revelers injured during the monitoring period from December 21.
Based on the Online National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (ONEISS), the 18 cases of firecracker related injuries was 85 percent lower compare to the same period last year.
Of the victims, 16 were males and two females aged 5 to 56 years old. Thirteen of them were active firecracker players while five were passive users, Ventura said.
According to Ventura, the banned “piccolo” firecracker was the leading cause of injuries.
After South Cotabato, Sarangani has three victims listed by ONEISS, Sultan Kudarat (2), Gen. Santos City (2), North Cotabato and Cotabato City with one each.
“All were sent home after hospital medication and nobody was hit by stray bullets,” Ventura said, adding DOH monitoring will continue until January 5. (PNA)