DOH sets early "kontra paputok" campaign

PIA Press Release
2010/11/26

DOH sets early "kontra paputok" campaign
by T. Villavert

Iloilo City (26 November) -- The Department of Health in Western Visayas pushes for an early campaign against firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices.

DOH 6 Director Ariel I. Valencia said that "as the holiday season is fast approaching, we need to have a massive information campaign against using of any firecrackers to further reduce injuries and death."

He said that last year's DOH record showed that Western Visayas was ranked among the top three regions in the country with the highest cases of firecracker related injuries.

"The National Capital Region being the highest followed by Region 1 and then our Region," Valencia said.

Majority of the firecracker victims in the past were males and most of those injured were children ten years old and below, followed by the youth and adolescents, aging 11 to 20 years old, Valencia said.

The Region 6 Health Director hopes to conduct an earlier campaign together with other support government agencies in order to increase public's level of awareness on the ill effects of firecrackers to body well-being, as well as its effects to life and properties.

The "kontra paputok" campaign of the DOH advocates four schemes to prevent firecracker and fireworks related injuries during the holidays.

The DOH's four safe ways of making noise are: l) using of pots, pans and paper horns; 2) newver pick firecrackers that failed to explode; 3) if wounded, immediately wash wounds with soap and water and go to the nearest hospital for treatment and 4) never fire guns to greet the new year. (PIA6)