Watusi patient's family asked to return to hospital

Citing the need to provide urgent medical care, the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday appealed to the family of a four-year-old boy who accidentally ingested a watusi firecracker to return to the hospital.

In a statement, the Health department said it could no longer contact the family of the patient—the country's first case of firecracker ingestion this year.

"As of the latest update from the receiving hospital, the family cannot be reached. The DOH appeals to the parents and family of the patient to please return to the hospital for proper medical attention," the department said.

The DOH warned that the signs and symptoms of watusi poisoning may not be immediate.

"[The poisoning] may manifest in the next few hours and be persistent for a few days. Death is a risk," the DOH said in the statement released on Thursday afternoon.

The Health department added that it will not release further details to the public to avoid stigmatizing the patient and his family.

Earlier in the day, the DOH reported that the boy accidentally ingested the watusi at home.

No information was provided regarding the hospital where he was admitted. However, the new DOH statement came with a reminder that all hospitals should be "careful and certain in referring and transferring patients."

In its bulletin released Thursday morning, the DOH reported a total of 88 firecracker-related injuries nationwide, including the case of watusi ingestion.

As first aid, the DOH advised the public to provide six to eight egg whites for children, and eight to 12 egg whites for adults before bringing the watusi patient to emergency care. The department discouraged inducing the victim to vomit.

Previously, there were no reported incidents of fireworks ingestion during DOH's monitoring of firecracker-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2022 to Jan. 5, 2023. A total of 291 cases were recorded during this period. — VDV, GMA Integrated News