CEBU: The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) has reported 93 fireworks-related injuries between December 21, 2024, and January 2, 2025. This data, released on Thursday, highlights the region’s challenges during the holiday season, as celebrations led to a significant number of injuries.
According to Philippines News Agency, 19 of these cases were documented following the New Year’s festivities. The data was gathered from 34 hospitals, comprising two sentinel and 32 non-sentinel facilities across the region. The DOH-7 figures notably surpass those reported by the Police Regional Office-7 (PRO-7), which recorded 14 fireworks-related incidents during the same timeframe.
Additionally, DOH-7 reported one stray bullet-related injury, while PRO-7 noted two cases of indiscriminate firing. Lt. Col. Janette Rafter, spokesperson for PRO-7, emphasized that seven of the firecracker-related injuries were serious. Tragically, two fatalities were reported: a 23-year-old vlogger from Asturias, Cebu, and a 10-year-old boy from Talisay City. Despite these incidents, Rafter described the overall atmosphere in Central Visayas during the celebrations as generally peaceful.
In a related issue, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the region’s pilot sentinel hospital, documented 133 road traffic-related injuries over the same period, underscoring the broader impact of holiday season activities on public safety.
