Boy gets finger amputated after firecracker injury – DOH

MANILA, Philippines — A 12-year-old boy in Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija needed to have a finger on his left amputated on Friday after playing with a five-star firecracker that exploded, according to report issued by the Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday.

The boy, who was not identfied, was taken to the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center in Cabanatuan.

“We are reminding parents and caregivers to make sure that their children do not play with any fireworks this holiday season because of the danger that they pose; instead, we urge them to be creative and use alternative noise-makers to celebrate,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement.

According to the DOH, this incident is their first recorded case in their surveillance for fireworks-related injuries this year.

The annual surveillance, which runs from Dec. 21 until Jan. 5, taps 50 hospitals to be alert for fireworks injuries and report them to the DOH. /atm