DOH: 116 injured due to fireworks amid New Year celebration

Over a hundred additional cases of fireworks-related injuries were reported in various parts of the country during the celebration of New Year 2024, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

DOH’s latest surveillance report showed that 116 new victims due to fireworks were admitted from 6 a.m. of December 31 to 5:59 a.m. of January 1.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said that this number may still get higher as more reports come in.

“Baka madagdagan pa ho ito sapagkat kung minsan, nade-delay ang pag-report ng ating sentinel sites or hospitals,” he said at a press conference.

(This may still increase because sometimes, the reporting of our sentinel sites or hospitals is delayed.)

A total of 231 fireworks-related injuries have now been reported since the DOH started its monitoring on December 21.

Most of the cases or almost five out of every ten cases came from the National Capital Region at 113.

According to a "24 Oras" report on Monday, at least 30 cases of injuries were documented at the Tondo Medical Center.

"We see that there are more cases this year compared to last year....we need to amputate four yesterday," Dr. Cholo Andre Bulseco of the hospital's surgery department.

Dr. Carlos Azucena, chief resident of the Orthopedic Section of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center said the injuries in 2023 were "three times more than the last three years combined."

The new batch of cases included the youngest victim so far—an 11-month old infant from the NCR whose face and right eye were burned by an illegal firecracker called “piccolo,” which was lit by another person on the street.

The DOH also recorded the oldest victim—-a 76-year-old male from the Ilocos Region who sustained injuries on his right eye due to a kwitis that he himself lit at home.

Three new amputation cases were also registered, bringing the total to 11.

There were no additional reports of ingestion so far.

Seven out of 10, or 82 of the new cases, were also male. 

Ninety three percent or 107 of these cases also had the accident at home and along the streets, with most of them (60 cases) getting injuries due to legal fireworks.

Overall, the top fireworks that caused at least seven out of every 10 injuries were Kwitis, 5-Star, Boga, Piccolo, Whistle Bomb, Pla-Pla, Luces, Fountain, and Triangle. 

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday two persons were killed due to firecracker and stray bullet incidents after the celebration of New Year 2024.

Herbosa said five victims of stray bullets were also recently reported in DOH’s sentinel sites. This, however, is still being validated by the agency’s Epidemiology Bureau with the PNP. 

“Reminder sa mga gun owners na ‘wag magpaputok sa itaas kasi bababa ‘yun at may tatamaang biktima. And most of these victims wala namang kinalaman doon sa kanilang may mga hawak ng baril,” the Health secretary added. 

(I’m reminding gun owners not to fire their weapons upward because they will go down and will hit a victim. And most of these victims have nothing to do with them having guns.)  —KG/KBK, GMA Integrated News