The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, Jan. 4 confirmed 28 new cases of fireworks-related injuries, bringing the total count to 585.
Between 12 a.m., Jan. 2 to 6 a.m., Jan. 4, 15 injuries were documented and reported from DOH’s sentinel sites.
The report also highlighted two new confirmed stray bullet injuries (SBIs) with a total of three SBIs, and these include a 28-year-old male from Metro Manila with a toe fracture and a 60-year-old male from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with a collarbone fracture.
Regarding this, the DOH emphasized the ongoing coordination between the DOH and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for all reports of SBIs.
Meanwhile, the majority of the 28 new cases were attributed to injuries from fireworks, with 26 cases excluding the two new SBIs.
The age range of the new cases varied from six to 62 years old, with a median age of 23; about 88 percent of cases were males, and nearly all (96 percent) of the incidents occurred at home or in the streets.
Of the new cases, 52 percent were due to legal fireworks, resulting in hospitalizations for 35 percent of individuals.
Overall, the Health Department reported a total of 585 injuries, with fireworks causing 581 incidents, including 31 amputations, 153 eye injuries resulting in one case of blindness, two instances of hearing loss, one watusi ingestion, and three cases of SBIs, while highlighting that 47 percent, or 276 cases, involve individuals aged 18 years old.
Metro Manila accounted for more than half of the cases at 54 percent, followed by the Ilocos Region with 10 percent, Calabarzon with eight percent, and Central Luzon with seven percent.
The report identified specific fireworks responsible for the majority of injuries, including "kwitis," "5-star," "whistle bomb," "pla-pla," "boga," "luces," and "fountain."
The DOH noted that illegal fireworks were responsible for 38 percent of cases, while legal fireworks caused the majority of injuries.