Firecracker injuries climb to 125 ahead of New Year

ALBAY, Philippines — Firecracker-related injuries have climbed to 125, just days before the New Year, according to the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH).

In the past 24 hours, covering the period from 6 a.m. Friday, December 27, to 6 a.m. Saturday, December 28, the health department recorded 24 new injuries from fireworks.

The data was collected from 62 sentinel hospitals across the country since December 22.

According to the DOH, 73% of the injuries were caused by illegal firecrackers such as boga, 5-star and piccolo, with 60% of the cases involving individuals actively handling fireworks.

Most victims were male (114 out of 125), and 102 were aged 19 years or younger.

The latest tally is an increase from the 101 cases reported on Friday and higher than the 97 cases recorded during the same period in 2023.

The DOH warned about the dangers of fireworks, such as severe injuries leading to death, amputations, blindness, hearing loss, lung damage and burns

It urged the public to resort to alternative noise-making devices, including horns, pots and pans, and to keep firework products out of children’s reach.

The DOH also reminded vendors that selling fireworks to minors is against the law.

For emergency cases, the public is advised to contact the National Emergency Hotline 911 or their dedicated hotline at 1555.