MANILA, Philippines ? The number of people injured by firecrackers in Christmas-eve revelry was lower compared to the previous year, according to the Department of Health.

As of December 26, the DoH's ?Iwas Paputok? surveillance from 50 sentinel hospitals nationwide showed that at least 54 people, including 15 children, were treated for injuries caused by firecrackers.

A 10-year old girl from Nueva Ecija province meanwhile was reported to have been injured by a stray bullet believed by the authorities to have been fired during irresponsible merry-making.

The girl was playing in her backyard at 12:33 p.m. on December 22 when hit in the right side by a stray bullet.

She was treated at the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Hospital in Cabanatuan City.

The DoH said 83 per cent of those injured, or 45 people, sustained blast injuries without amputation. The rest sustained eye injuries.

Most of those injured were males.

Despite repeated calls on parents not to let their children play with firecrackers, there were young children among those injured.

The DoH said 30 per cent of those injured, or 16 cases were children 10 years old and below.

But the DoH noted that the number of injuries so far was lower by 12 cases compared to the same period last year, and 10 cases lower than the five year-average for the same period.

Piccolo, an illegal firecracker, still caused the most injuries, claiming 31 victims.

The other firecrackers which caused injuries were the "triangulo" with six victims, "kwitis" and "whistlebomb" with three victims each, and five-star.

The deceptively harmless "luces," or sparklers, which can actually generate heat 10 times hotter than boiling water, again caused injury among young children, including a one-year-old baby boy who was injured in the eye by sparklers lit by a neighbor.

A six-year-old boy who was allowed to light luces in their home also sustained eye injury.

The DoH has been campaigning against the use of all kinds of fireworks to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.

The DoH insists there are no safe firecrackers or fireworks.

The number of fireworks-related injuries is expected to peak on New Year's Eve.

The DoH reported that the number of firecracker injuries reported last year ? a total of 733 ? was the lowest in the last four years.

The lone fatality from last year's revelry was a 28-year-old woman from Cotabato City who was killed by a stray bullet.