A day before the New Year’s Eve revelries, 11 new cases of fireworks-related injuries (FWRI) were recorded by the Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday, Dec. 30, bringing the total number of cases to 107.
As stated in the FWRI Report 9 monitored from 6 a.m. of Dec. 29 to 5:59 a.m. of Dec 30, DOH reported 11 new cases of FWRI.
The victims' ages ranged from six to 72 years old and were mostly males. “All of these new cases occurred at home and in the streets,” DOH said.
DOH noted that six or 6. 55 percent of the victims were due to illegal fireworks. “Today, more had passive involvement (6.55 percent),” it added.
Grandparents as victims
Meanwhile, DOH stressed that fireworks injuries “spare no one: young or old, male or female, active or passive in involvement.”
DOH cited a new case of a 72-year-old male from the National Capital Region (NCR) “who sustained burns and abrasions due to Kwitis (skyrocket) lit by someone else on the street.”
“The new cases include the abovementioned oldest case thus far this year,” DOH said.
DOH said that also in the recorded cases is a new amputation case of a 19-year-old male from Cagayan Valley who actively used the illegal "pla-pla" resulting in a mangled left hand.
“There have been no additional reports of ingestion thus far,” DOH said.
FWRI cases tally
With the new 11 cases, DOH said there are 107 FWRI overall, with almost four out of every ten cases coming from NCR (41. 38 percent).
Following NCR in rank as to the number of cases are Central Luzon (12.11 percent); Ilocos Region (12.11 percent), and Soccsksargen (7.7 percent). Cagayan Valley, Bicol Region, Calabarzon, and Western Visayas were all ranked with 5.5 percent.
Meanwhile, DOH pointed out that 97 percent of these cases happened at home and in the streets --- mostly by “males with active involvement.”
DOH said the “top ranking” identified fireworks that cause at least seven out of every 10 or 72 percent FWRIs were “boga,” “5-Sta,” “kwitis,” “piccolo,” “pla-pla,” “luces,” and “whistle bomb.”
The illegal fireworks (including “boga,” “5-Star,” “piccolo,” and “pla-pla”) are to blame for about six out of every ten cases or 63.59 percent, DOH said.
FWRI trends
As it continues to monitor FWRI cases, DOH pointed out that the trends in data were “clear and consistent: fireworks-related injuries happen at home or nearby, involving mostly young boys, but also affecting passive onlookers of any age or sex.”
To avoid being victims of FWRI, DOH stressed that “watching community fireworks displays from a safe distance is still the best.”
DOH stressed the crucial role of parents and community leaders in minimizing the cases of fireworks injuries.