235 firework-related injuries logged

THE Philippines logged 235 fireworks-related injuries during the latest New Year period, according to its Health department on Thursday, a sharp decline from a year earlier.

The Department of Health (DoH) said the cases were recorded from Dec. 21, 2025, to 4 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, including 62 injuries reported during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The tally is 42% lower than the 403 cases recorded during the 2025 year-end festivities.

Health Spokesman Albert Francis E. Domingo said the lower number is encouraging but not final, as nationwide surveillance will continue until Jan. 5 to capture late hospital submissions.

“Even as we see today a lower [count] than last year’s count for fireworks-related injuries, the DoH anticipates that late reports will come in from today Jan. 1 all the way to Jan. 5. We hope the lower count will stay,” he said in a statement.

He warned that even minor burns or wounds caused by fireworks can lead to tetanus, a potentially fatal infection whose symptoms typically appear about eight days after injury and, in some cases, as late as three weeks.

Mr. Domingo urged those injured to seek immediate medical consultation, noting that tetanus vaccination is available at hospitals nationwide. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana