Philippines: 231 hurt by New Year's Eve fireworks, including 11-month-old baby

Manila: On New Year's Eve, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 116 fresh incidents of injuries related to fireworks, bringing the total cases to 231 as of 5:59 a.m. on January 1, 2023.

The victims included an 11-month-old baby and a 76-year-old man, with the youngest sustaining burns on the face and right eye from an illicit "piccolo", and the elderly man injuring his right eye with a Kwitis (skyrocket) lit at home.

Amputations

Among the recorded injuries, 65 were eye-related, while three new cases of finger amputations brought the total to 11.

Notably, five individuals fell victim to stray bullets, but there were no additional reports of "watusi" ingestion. DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, speaking at a press conference, cautioned that the number of cases might increase due to delays in reporting from sentinel sites or hospitals.

He highlighted the higher count this year compared to pandemic-restricted years but emphasized that it remained lower than the peak of 375 cases per day recorded during New Year's Eve in 2011.

Regional tally

Out of the total 231 fireworks-related injuries, the National Capital Region reported 113 cases, Central Luzon 27, and the Ilocos Region 24.

Regions with the least recorded injuries were Davao Region and Mimaropa with one case each, and Northern Mindanao, Central Visayas, and Cordillera Autonomous Region with three cases each.

Culprits

The primary culprits behind at least 73 percent of the injuries were identified as Kwitis, 5-Star, Boga, Piccolo, Whistle Bomb, Pla-Pla, Luces, Fountain, and Triangle.

Surprisingly, 56 percent of the cases were attributed to legal fireworks, while only 44 percent were caused by illegal ones. Secretary Herbosa announced the DOH's focus on monitoring tetanus cases and urged those injured to promptly seek medical assistance for wound sanitization and vaccination.