The Department of Health said that it has recorded 340 injuries caused by firecrackers as of 6 a.m. yesterday.
The DoH said the figure also includes a case of firework ingestion that involved a two-year-old girl from Manila.
“The incident happened on the evening of Dec. 31, 2019. Her sibling put ‘Luces’ into her mouth. She was brought to UST Hospital where she was observed and sent home thereafter,” the DoH said in its Fireworks-Related Injury Surveillance Report No. 13.
The total figure is 15 cases higher compared to the 325 cases reported last Dec. 21, 2018 to Jan. 3, 2019. The DoH added that there is no stray bullet injuries or deaths reported yet.
Majority of the cases were still recorded in the National Capital Region with 168 injuries. Western Visayas came in second with 36 reported injuries; Ilocos region with 29 cases; Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) with 23 cases; and Central Luzon with 22 cases.
The DoH said that 204 injuries were “due to legal fireworks.” The top fireworks involved were “Kwitis,” Luces, “Fountain,” “Piccolo,” and “Five Star.” Among the five, Piccolo and Five Star were illegal fireworks, the DoH noted. (Analou de Vera)