APD | Injuries related to New Year revelry down by 35%

By APD writer Melo M. Acuña

**MANILA, Jan. 1 (APD) – **Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said fireworks-related injuries posted a 35% decrease from December 21,2019 to January 1,2020. However, health officials said the numbers may still increase due to late medical consultation. This year, there was not case of fireworks ingestion, stray bullet injury and deaths.

He said there were 164 fireworks-related injuries reported, 87 cases lower than the 251 cases from 2019 where there were 249 fireworks-related injuries and two fireworks ingestion.

The total number of cases this year is 71% lower than the five-year average from 2014-2018 of 403 cases.

“We were able to reduce cases by as much as 35%, this is indeed a welcome development but we will not stop until we achieve zero firework-related injuries,” Secretary Duque said in a press briefing at East Avenue Medical Center today.

He said they will build on what has been achieved this year to ensure the next holidays will be safer for everyone. He called on those injured to seek medical attention at the soonest possible time for proper health management and to avoid fatal complications including tetanus.

Most of the injuries were blast/burn but without amputation (71%), eye injuries (24%) and blast/burn requiring amputation (4%). Some 55% of the reported injured took place in the streets while 43% were sustained at home. Most of the injuries came from legally-manufactured fireworks while 32% suffered injuries from illegally-manufactured fireworks.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)