Holiday season injuries breach 1,000 mark

The number of people injured during the holiday season has breached the 1,000 mark, the Department of Health said Thursday.

In its 15th and final report, the DoH said that as of 6 a.m. Thursday, there were 1,004 injuries recorded since December 21. The number of injured was 0.4 percent higher during the same period last year and 1.8 percent higher than the previous five-year average.

Of the figures, 970 (96.6 percent) were fireworks-related injuries, 29 (2.9 percent) were stray-bullet injuries and five (0.5 percent) were firecracker ingestion cases.

A total of 603 cases, or more than three-fifths of the total, were from Metro Manila. Most of the victims were taken to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City and Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila.

There were four deaths: three from firecrackers and one from stray bullet. The latest firecracker-related death was that of a 21-year-old man in Nueva Ecija who died Thursday from infection of an abdominal wound caused by “Goodbye Philippines.”

Of those injured by firecrackers, more than a third were aged 10 and below and 70 percent were injured while on the streets. More than half handled the firecrackers that hurt them.

A total of 776 had blast injuries or burns without amputation, 59 had blast injuries or burns with amputation and 130 suffered eye injuries.  Ninety-nine of the injured people aged 15 years and above were under the influence of alcohol.

Of the 441 cases caused by illegal fireworks, 142 were due to piccolo.