Firecracker-related injuries hit

The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded a total of 46 fireworks-related injuries since Dec. 21 as of Sunday.

While the figure is 64 percent lower from the five-year average of 129 cases, it already matches the number of cases reported in the same period last year.

“This is not a good sign as the number may equal, if not exceed, the total for the entire period,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a television interview.

Of those injured, 14 suffered from eye injuries and one required amputation. A third of the patients used prohibited firecrackers like piccolo, boga and 5-star.

Last year, the DOH recorded a total of 338 injuries nationwide, a 34-percent drop from 2017, when there were 550 recorded injuries. —Jovic Yee