Fireworks-related injuries reach 231 as of Jan 1, with 116 new cases

BRING IN THE NOISE Children light firecrackers at Juan Luna Street in Manila on New Year’s Eve. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — One hundred sixteen new cases of fireworks-related injuries (FWRI) were recorded from 6 a.m. on Sunday to 5:59 a.m. on New Year’s day, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

This has brought the overall number of FWRI to 231.

“The new cases range from 11 months to 76 years old (median age: 20), with seven out of ten (82, 71%) cases that are male. Ninety three percent (107, 93%) of these new cases occurred at home and in the streets,” the DOH said in an advisory.

“Sixty (60, 52%) were due to legal fireworks. Less than half of the cases (57, 49%) had active involvement,” it added.

An 11-month-old baby from the National Capital Region (NCR), the youngest victim thus yet, had his/her face and right eye burned by an illegal piccolo lighted by another person.

The oldest case thus far was a 76-year-old male from Ilocos Norte who injured his right eye by a Kwitis that he lit at home.

Meanwhile, the DOH noted that there are three new amputation cases, bringing the total to 11.

According to the department, almost five out of every 10 cases from the total FWRI came from the NCR (113, 49 percent), followed by Central Luzon (27, 12 percent), and Ilocos Region (24, 10 percent).

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The regions with the lowest number of cases are Davao Region (one), Mimaropa (one), Northern Mindanao (three), Central Visayas (three), and Cordillera Autonomous Region (three).

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“Ninety five percent (95%) happened at home and in the streets, mostly by males with active involvement,” the DOH said.

“The top ranking identified fireworks that cause at least seven out of every 10 (73%) FWRIs, in descending order, are Kwitis, 5-Star*, Boga*, Piccolo*, Whistle Bomb, Pla-Pla*, Luces, Fountain, and Triangle. Illegal fireworks (marked with an asterisk) are to blame for just four out of every 10 cases (102, 44%), with legal fireworks causing more injuries,” it added.