Fewer firecracker injuries during Christmas holidays reported

There were fewer firecracker injuries last Christmas Day compared with the number of cases reported in 2011, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012.

MANILA, Philippines—There were fewer firecracker injuries last Christmas Day compared with the number of cases reported in 2011, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday.

The DOH said it registered a total of 72 fireworks-related injuries from December 21 up to 6 a.m. on Wednesday. This is 22 percent lower than the average registered during the same time period in the last five years.

“This is 20 cases lower than the previous five-year average (2007-2011) and thirty six cases (33 percent) lower than the same time period last year,” the DOH said.

It said many of the cases were from the National Capital Region (20 cases), Western Visayas (12), and Cagayan (6).

“Of the seventy-two reported injuries, seventy-one were from fireworks and one from a stray-bullet. There was no reported case of watusi ingestion. No deaths (were) reported,” the DOH said.

It said that a 60-year-old woman from Cagayan De Oro City was hit by a stray bullet on her left thigh at around 10 p.m. on December 24 while she was inside her house.

The DOH said the majority of the injured were men (61 cases) and that the victims’ age ranged from nine years to 58 years old.

“The median age is 11 years old. Twenty-eight cases (39 percent) were children less than 10 years old,” the DOH said.

“(The) majority (52 cases) sustained blast injuries not requiring amputation, fourteen had eye injuries and three (had) blast injuries requiring amputation,” it added.

The DOH said most of the victims (31 out of 72) were injured due to the firecracker `piccolo.’ This was followed by “kwitis” and “five star,” each of which injured six persons.