Kalinga logs 7 firework-related and 1 gun-related injuries during Holiday Season

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Instead of having their fair share of enjoyment during the Holiday season, eight individuals in Kalinga suffered injuries from firecrackers and a stray bullet.

The Department of Health, on January 2, revealed that the firework-related injuries in the country reached 534. The tally which covered December 22 – January 2 is lower by 9.8% from the total cases last year.

Of the data, 42 came from the Cordillera region. The number was spread out across the different provinces and cities with 8 of them recorded in Kalinga (one of these 8 is a case of stray bullet). Other cases were recorded in Abra with 9 incidents; Apayao, 4; Baguio City, 8; Benguet, 7; Ifugao, 1; and Mountain province, 4.

According to DOH Cordillera, the ages of the 42 victims range from 4 to 84 years old and the majority of them are males, with 32 incidents.

Further information from the health agency showed that 11 of the 42 victims sustained eye injuries, 26 had blast/burn injuries without amputation, 3 suffered blast/burn injuries with amputation, and one sustained multiple injuries.

The DOH – CAR is reminding the public not to pick up unexploded fireworks with their hands. People are advised to use broom and a dustpan or other materials in transferring them. Moreover, the agency urged the public to seek immediate medical attention in the event of a fire-work injury as this may lead to complications.