Firecracker injuries rise to 142 ahead of New Year

As the New Year celebration approaches, the number of fireworks-related injuries (FWRI) nationwide rose to 142.

- By MAYEN JAYMALIN

The Department of Health (DOH) said an additional 17 cases pushed to 142 the total FWRIs recorded from Dec. 22 to 29.

The DOH said the current total number of cases is 35 percent higher than the 105 cases posted during the same period last year.

Of the total cases, the DOH said 115 are 19 years old and below, while 27 are 20 years old and above.

Males accounted for 127 of the total cases, while the remaining 15 are females.

A high of 73 percent, or 104 of those cases, were caused by illegal firecrackers such as boga, five-star and piccolo.

The DOH further noted that 60 percent of the FWRI victims were the ones actively using the fireworks.

As this developed, the DOH-Ilocos Region office asked the public to refrain from using boga, which is now the leading cause of FWRIs.