‘Crackers’ victims mostly kids — DOH

BAGUIO CITY — Christmas and New Year’s Day revelries have been bloody specially against Filipino children victimized by firecrackers, health officials here acknowledged.

Dr. Erwin Baclig, chief of the Epidemiology Surveillance cluster of the Department of Health-Cordillera, said pyrotechnic accidents around the country have victimized mostly children from one to 10 years old. The physician bared this as he reiterated the DOH’s warning during yesterday’s KAPIHAN SA BAGUIO with members of the inter-agency task force implementing the "Oplan Iwas Paputok" program of the government this Yuletide.

Such warning again came as Dr. Manuel Quirino of the STOP-DEATH program of the Baguio General Hospital reported that a 10-year-old child from Atok, Benguet met an accident last week after he piled up 100 "red paper bullets" inside a tube. The victim lost a finger when the tube exploded.

Yesterday, another child’s hand was amputated in the city after meeting a similar accident.

Baclig said 43 percent of reported victims of pyrotechnic accidents in the Cordillera last year were children 10 years old and below. Thirty-seven (37) percent were children ages 11-20.

Although reported cases of firecrackers injuries went down last year (1,325) from 1999 (1,568), Health officials lamented the Filipinos’ tradition of welcoming the new year with "louder firecrackers."

Quirino further warned against "watusi" poisoning especially on children. Figures last year bared that at least four children contracted tetanus from these small firecrackers. Two of them died.

Meanwhile, Sr. Supt. John Soliba, regional operations chief of the Cordillera police, assured that they will be firm on prosecuting policemen caught firing their guns during the Christmas and New Year revelries. — Artemio Dumlao