Fireworks-related injuries across the country have reached 655 cases, with youth aged 19 years old and below accounting for more than half of the victims, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Saturday, Jan. 3.

DOH Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) Director Tina Marasigan said 351 of the cases involved children and adolescents.

“Mahigit kalahati or 351 po rito ay kabataang edad 19 years old pababa (More than half, or 351 of the cases, involved individuals aged 19 years old and below),” she said.

She noted that all reported cases sustained varying degrees of burns and wounds affecting different parts of the body.

According to Marasigan, 19 fireworks-related injury cases resulted in finger or hand amputations, 11 of which involved youth aged 19 and below.

“Kaugnay nito, 19 po sa mga biktima ang naputulan ng daliri o kamay sa iba’t ibang uri ng paputok—labing-isa ay menor de edad (In relation to this, 19 victims suffered finger or hand amputations from different types of fireworks—11 of them are minors),” she said.

The DOH official noted that the youngest victim was a four-year-old who lost four fingers after being hit by an unidentified type of firecracker.

“Isang four years old naman pong ang pinakabata na naputulan ng apat na daliri sa kanyang kamay matapos na masabugan ng hindi pa matukoy na uri ng paputok (The youngest victim is a four-year-old who lost four fingers after being struck by an as-yet unidentified type of firecracker),” said Marasigan.

Per the DOH, unidentified fireworks remained the leading cause of injuries, followed by “kwitis” and “5-star” firecracker.

“Mga hindi matukoy na paputok ang pangunahing sanhi ng pinsala, na sinundan po ng ligal na kwitis, at iligal na 5-star (Unidentified fireworks were the primary cause of injuries, followed by legal kwitis and the illegal 5-star),” she said.

While the agency observed a 20 percent decline in cases compared with last year, the DOH said the injuries, particularly those involving children, remain deeply troubling.

“Naobserbahan ng kagawaran ang 20 percent na pagbaba ng kaso, ikinalulungkot pa rin ng DOH ang sinapit ng mga nagpaputok at aksidenteng nasabugan ng firecrackers (The department observed a 20 percent decrease in cases, but the DOH still regrets the injuries suffered by those who lit fireworks and those who were accidentally hit by firecrackers),” Marasigan said.

The health department urged the public to seek immediate medical care for any fireworks-related burn or wound, stressing that free anti-tetanus vaccination is available in hospitals and is crucial to preventing potentially fatal tetanus infection.

“Kaugnay nito, nagpaalala naman ang DOH na kung naputukan o paso o sugat na dulot ng paputok, agad magtungo sa mga hospital para libreng magpabakuna at maiwasan ang banta ng nakakamatay na tetano lalo na walo hanggang 21 araw bago lumabas ang sintomas nito (In this regard, the DOH reminded the public that anyone who sustains burns or wounds from fireworks should immediately go to hospitals for free vaccination to prevent the threat of potentially fatal tetanus, especially since symptoms can appear eight to 21 days later).”