Baby, 11 months, youngest fireworks-related injury case – DOH

New 116 cases logged from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 push tally of FWRI to 231

BRING IN THE NOISE Children light firecrackers at Juan Luna Street in Manila on New Year’s Eve. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — An 11-month-old baby is the youngest, who was injured by a firecracker during the New Year’s eve celebrations.

The baby was among the 116 new cases of firework-related injuries which was logged from 6 a.m. on December 31, 2023 to 5:59 a.m. today, January 1, 2024.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the 11-month-old baby was from the National Capital Region (NCR), who had the baby’s face and right eye burned by an illegal piccolo lighted by another person.

READ: BFP-Mandaue reminds public of citywide ban on firecrackers

Baby, 230 others are FWRI cases

Aside from that, the 116 new cases pushed the total number of firework-related injuries to 231.

“The new cases range from 11 months to 76 years old (median age: 20), with seven out of ten (82, 71%) cases that are male. Ninety three percent (107, 93%) of these new cases occurred at home and in the streets,” the DOH said in an advisory.

“Sixty (60, 52%) were due to legal fireworks. Less than half of the cases (57, 49%) had active involvement,” it added.

READ: Police to monitor firecrackers, stray bullet incident on New Year’s Eve

11-month-old baby and 76-year-old man

The 11-month-old baby was the youngest while the oldest case thus far was a 76-year-old male from Ilocos Norte who injured his right eye by a Kwitis that he lit at home.

Meanwhile, the DOH noted that there are three new amputation cases, bringing the total to 11.

According to the department, almost five out of every 10 cases from the total FWRI came from the NCR (113, 49 percent), followed by Central Luzon (27, 12 percent), and Ilocos Region (24, 10 percent).

READ: Firecracker-related cases: Boy loses all 5 fingers to ‘Dart Bomb’

Regions with lowest number of cases

The regions with the lowest number of cases are Davao Region (one), Mimaropa (one), Northern Mindanao (three), Central Visayas (three), and Cordillera Autonomous Region (three).

“Ninety five percent (95%) happened at home and in the streets, mostly by males with active involvement,” the DOH said.

READ: Demand weak despite cheaper fireworks, firecrackers

Identified fireworks

“The top ranking identified fireworks that cause at least seven out of every 10 (73%) FWRIs, in descending order, are Kwitis, 5-Star*, Boga*, Piccolo*, Whistle Bomb, Pla-Pla*, Luces, Fountain, and Triangle. Illegal fireworks (marked with an asterisk) are to blame for just four out of every 10 cases (102, 44%), with legal fireworks causing more injuries,” it added.