THE Department of Health (DoH) advised the public to immediately seek medical help if injured by a firecracker to avoid tetanus infection.
Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said the public should not ignore even a minor injury as small particles of fireworks may cause health hazards on the body.
“Ang burn at blast injuries ay may high risk ng tetanus. Ang lahat po ng pasyente na iyan ay ini-injectionan ng anti-tetanus sa ating mga ospital,” Domingo said during a radio interview Sunday.
“Ang tetanus once nag-set in halos wala pong nagsu-survive, it’s almost uniformly fatal. Kaya it’s always best to prevent it,” he added.
As of Sunday, the DoH reported that three more people were injured due to firecrackers, raising the total number of firecracker-related injuries nationwide to 46.
The three new cases were from Central Visayas, Western Visayas, and National Capital Region.
The health department said that the total count is 49 percent lower compared to the same period in 2017, and 76 percent lower than the five-year average.
The top firecracker that caused most of the injuries is “Boga.” Other firecrackers involved were kwitis, triangle, piccolo, five-star, baby rocket, bawang, camara, and luces. (Analou de Vera)