Fireworks-related injuries reach 655

Russel Benito, 12, sleeping on a bench inside the Emergency Department and Trauma Center in East Ave. Medical Center while cradling his right arm in a sling. A nurse on duty said his index finger was severely injured due to a “kwitis” that exploded in his right hand requiring surgery and possible amputation. There were fewer cases of firecracker accident victims brought to EAMC this New Year after the implementation of a firecracker ban in Quezon City. —INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

The Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 655 cases of fireworks-related injuries this holiday season, most of them involving minors. The DOH said the data, monitored from Dec. 21, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2026, were 20 percent lower than the number logged during the same period in 2024.

Most injuries were caused by unidentified fireworks, followed by kwitis (mini skyrocket) and firecracker “five-star.” Of the number, at least 351 were minors aged 16 and below. Nineteen of the victims, 11 of them minors, had either of their hands or fingers amputated.

The DOH reminded those injured by fireworks to get tetanus shots. Blast wound injuries may cause dirt and bacteria to enter the body and lead to tetanus infection, which has an incubation period of three to 21 days.

During the same monitoring period, the DOH also logged 1,113 road crash injuries, up about 82 percent from 2024. The DOH said 508 victims were aged 15 to 29. Four of the seven fatalities were aged between 16 and 26 years old.

At least 86 percent, or 965 of the victims, were not wearing helmets or seat belts. Meanwhile, the DOH recorded a total of 349 cases of noncommunicable diseases between Dec. 21 and Jan. 2, up by nine percent from the same period in 2024.

At least 205 suffered from acute stroke, 95 from acute coronary syndrome and 49 from bronchial asthma.