‘Cracker deaths increase, says DoH

The Department of Health (DoH) on Sunday disclosed that four individuals have already died from firecracker-related injuries following reports of a 54-year-old man from Calabarzon dying from severe injuries to his left hand caused by a kwitis firecracker.

In a statement, the Health department said that it has logged a total of 832 firecracker-related injuries as of Sunday, a 37 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Of the victims, 491 are under the age of 19, and 685 are male.

Kwitis remained the leading cause of injuries, followed by 5-star and boga.

Meanwhile, the DoH reported 656 road traffic incidents during the holiday season, an increase of 32.7 percent compared to the same period last year.

It disclosed that 18 new cases were added to the tally from 22 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.

Of the 656 cases, 569 involved motorists not using safety accessories, and 123 involved those under the influence of alcohol.

Meantime, motorcycle-related crashes accounted for 468 of the incidents, while seven people died in road traffic accidents during the holiday season, including four motorcyclists.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa has earlier expressed concern over the high number of road traffic incidents.

“We’re not surprised that 90 percent or 9 out of 10 of these riders who were injured were not wearing helmets. Next year, we have to monitor those who are not wearing helmets because they will not get injured if they did so,” Herbosa said.

The DoH chief also stressed the need for stricter enforcement of the Helmet Use Law, particularly in provinces.