Firecracker-related injuries increased to 188 as 25 new cases were reported by the Department of Health (DOH) until 6:00 am on December 31.
The data from 62 sentinel sites showed that firecracker injuries as of Tuesday were 52 percent higher compared to 124 cases logged last year on the same date.
Most of the victims are 19 years old and below, tallying a total of 152 cases, while 36 are 20 years old and above. 172 of the victims are male while 16 are female.
Furthermore, 72 percent or 136 of the victims are due to illegal firecrackers such as boga, 5 star, and piccolo.
One hundred twenty-three victims or 65 percent of the cases were due to active use of firecrackers.
“Eye injury, burnt skin, or severed body parts are the common complaints of firecracker victims recorded,” the health department said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the DOH also recorded 39 new road traffic incidents.
According to their data recorded from December 22, the total road incident cases are now logged at 496.
Based on the 8 pilot sites that DOH is monitoring, the recorded cases are 33 percent higher in comparison to last year.
There are now 6 recorded deaths of which 4 are related to motorcycle accidents.
The newest motorcycle death involves an individual who was not wearing a helmet, the DOH reported.
The data shows that 356 out of 496 road-incident cases were due to motorcycles, while 427 of the accidents were caused by the improper use of safety accessories such as helmets for two-wheel riders and seatbelts for cars or similar vehicles.
Furthermore, 83 of the recorded accidents involved motorists who were driving under the influence of alcohol.
As this developed, the DOH also monitored a surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) particularly, Stroke, Acute Coronary Heart Syndrome, and Bronchial Asthma.
According to the data from the 8 hospitals serving as DOH sentinel sites, the 23 cases of stroke from December 23 climbed up to 103 on December 30, 2024.
The DOH is also monitoring cases of bronchial asthma due to smoke from fireworks.
Children aged 0 to 9 years old are the most common bronchial asthma patients.
The DOH emphasized the importance of taking care of the heart and lungs—exercising daily, avoiding eating fatty, sweet, and excessively salty foods, and refraining from excessive alcohol consumption.
“Stay away from smokey places, especially from the powder of fireworks, ” the department said in a statement.
