LESSON LEARNED A resident who sustained an eye injury caused by a firecracker is treated at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center also in Manila. 鈥擱ICHARD REYES/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The Department of Health (DOH) said that as of Thursday, it has recorded 534 cases of injuries due to fireworks since Dec. 22 last year, with 188 of these cases occurring on New Year鈥檚 Eve.
In a press conference at Tondo Medical Center in Manila, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the total number of cases was 9.8 percent lower compared with the 592 reported between Dec. 22, 2023, until Jan. 2, 2024.
READ: Firecracker injury rise shows lessons never learned
The top cause of injuries was 鈥渒witis,鈥� followed by 鈥渂oga鈥� (improvised cannon), five-star and whistle bomb. All are considered illegal except for kwitis. In some cases, the type of fireworks that caused the injury could not be determined.
Of the 534 cases reported by 62 hospitals, 443 of the patients were male while 322 involved patients aged 19 and below. A total of 356 suffered burns while 28 had to undergo amputation.
Herbosa said he expected the number to further rise although not significantly, adding that some victims seek medical attention after a week for tetanus.
According to him, he will propose a measure to prohibit minors from using fireworks although he noted that most of the victims between 10 and 14 years old were injured passively, meaning they were not handling any fireworks at the time.
Herbosa said this was the reason why the DOH favors a ban on the use of fireworks except for those done in designated areas by communities. Fireworks, he stressed, should be lit by licensed professionals just like in other countries and not by any person.
鈥淥ne death is too many because a fireworks-related death is preventable. If only he did not light it, he should not have died. Or a passive [user] should not have died had he not been hit by a firework lit by another,鈥� he said.
For his part, Assistant Secretary Alberto Domingo, DOH spokesperson, said they would take action against online sellers of fireworks, both legal and illegal, as well as those behind online tutorials showing people how to make illegal fireworks.
鈥淭here are plenty of sites teaching viewers how to make a boga. It鈥檚 dangerous if you make it on your own,鈥� Domingo said in an interview on radio station dzBB.
The DOH also reported 577 road traffic accidents since Dec. 22, which was 33.5-percent higher compared with the same period last year.
Of the total number of cases, six were reported killed, four of them motorcycle riders. Of those injured, 108 were under the influence of alcohol, 500 were not using safety accessories and 415 were on board motorcycles.
Herbosa said he would advocate for stiffer penalties against drivers who drive while drunk, and those not wearing safety accessories such as helmets and seat belts.
The DOH is also monitoring the cases of noncommunicable diseases, namely, acute stroke, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and bronchial asthma in eight major hospitals nationwide.
As of Jan. 2, there were 146 patients for stroke, 74 for ACS and 60 for bronchial asthma. Two died from stroke while one died of ACS, a type of cardiovascular disease which includes myocardial infarction or heart attack.