The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, Jan. 6, reported a 38 percent increase in firecracker-related injuries this year.
Citing data from its sentinel sites, the DOH announced that the latest number of firecracker-related injuries has reached 843.
This figure, the DOH noted, is 38 percent higher than the 610 cases reported on the same day last year.
The DOH began its monitoring on Dec. 22.
The latest data showed that three cases were added on Jan. 1, two more cases on Dec. 31, and six additional cases in recent days.
The DOH also reported that four individuals died from fireworks-related injuries, while one person died from a stray bullet.
Of the 843 cases, 696 were male and 147 were female.
DOH data further revealed that 499 of the victims were aged 19 and below, while the remaining 344 cases involved individuals aged 20 and above.
According to the DOH, “kwitis” remained the leading cause of injuries, followed by 5-star and boga.
The DOH acknowledged the possibility of late reporting for some cases, as the latest data came from only 40 out of its 62 sentinel sites.