‘Cracker injuries dropped; road mishaps up

The Department of Health (DoH) reported on Thursday a significant decrease in fireworks-related injuries during the 2025 New Year celebrations, with cases dropping by nearly 10 percent compared to the previous year.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa announced in a press briefing that the department recorded a total of 534 fireworks-related injuries from 22 December 2024 to 2 January 2025.

“The total number of cases as of 2 January 2024 was 592. This year’s cases are 9.8 percent lower than the previous year,” Herbosa said.

Of the 534 cases, 322 involved individuals aged 18 years and under, while 212 were adults aged 20 years and over.

Data from the department’s 62 sentinel sites showed that most of the victims — 433 — were male.

Herbosa identified the “kwitis” or skyrocket as the leading cause of fireworks-related injuries, followed by illegal fireworks such as the boga, five-star and whistle bomb.

Four deaths

Herbosa reported four fireworks-related deaths. One case, involving a 78-year-old man from Nueva Ecija, was confirmed to have been caused by a “sinturon ni Hudas.” The other three cases were still being validated.

The DoH noted a decline in stray bullet incidents, with only two cases reported during the New Year revelry, both occurring in Metro Manila.

While fireworks-related injuries have been on a downward trend, Herbosa highlighted a worrying rise in other holiday-related injuries, particularly non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and road traffic accidents.

“As an emergency room doctor, I’ve observed that fireworks-related injuries are decreasing, but cases of heart attacks and strokes are steadily increasing,” Herbosa said.

Over the holidays, the DoH recorded 300 acute complications from its eight sentinel sites nationwide.

“This includes 146 acute stroke cases. Tondo Medical Center reported the highest number of incidents, with 74 cases of acute coronary syndrome and 80 cases of bronchial asthma,” he said.

Herbosa stressed that NCDs, such as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, and other heart conditions, are largely preventable.

“The solution lies in lifestyle changes. These conditions, often called lifestyle diseases, can be addressed by adopting healthier habits. Let’s take our New Year’s resolutions seriously — lose weight, exercise regularly, and reduce consumption of unhealthy foods,” he urged.

Road traffic incidents also saw a significant increase, with 577 cases reported — a 33-percent rise from the previous year’s 432 cases.

“This is the bad news. Most of the incidents involved men aged 20 to 24, and 72 percent were motorcycle riders,” Herbosa said.

He reminded the public to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries.