Manila hospitals record 1st firecracker, stray bullet victims

Government hospitals in Manila recorded on Wednesday their first firecracker explosions and stray bullet victims for this year. A nine-year-old boy sustained burns in the arm from a firecracker that exploded in his hands, becoming the first recorded firecracker-related injury in Metro Manila this holiday season. The boy was reportedly playing with "piccolo," a banned firecracker that caused the most number of injuries in 2009. He was rushed to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC) for treatment. Meanwhile, a 22-year-old man from Cavite was rushed to the JRMMC for treatment after being hit by a stray bullet. Reports from dzBB identified the victim as John Pulos, who sustained a gunshot wound in the knee. On Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy was reported the first firecracker casualty in the country this year, after being injured by a "five-star" firecracker he was playing with in Rizal province. The boy was also playing the firecracker when it exploded in his hands. Campaign vs firecrackers Just last week, the Department of Health (DOH) launched its anti-firecrackers campaign, hoping that the cases of firecracker-related injuries this year will drop compared to the cases recorded in 2009. Last year, a total of 1,036 cases of fireworks-related injuries were recorded. The figure is 41 percent higher than the 733 cases recorded in 2008. The number of stray bullet injuries also spiked, from 17 cases in 2008 to 45 cases in 2009. The DOH's campaign this year also focuses on prohibiting children from buying, selling and using firecrackers. Last year's data shows that a majority of the reported cases of firecrackers-related injuries are from children 10 years old and below. The Health Department also urged local government units to strictly monitor the sale and use of the following banned firecrackers: