Infant injured by kwitis as 114 new cases tallied after New Year’s celebration

MANILA, Philippines — A ten-month-old infant from the National Capital Region (NCR) sustained an eye injury due to a skyrocket, popularly known as kwitis, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Wednesday.

In an update, the DOH reported that baby boy is one of the new 114 firework-related injuries (FWRI) logged by the health department after the New Year celebration. These cases were recorded from 6 a.m. on January 2 to 5:59 a.m. on January 3.

Meanwhile, the oldest person injured was a 77-year-old male from the Ilocos Region which the DOH said was burnt by a whistle bomb.

A whistle bomb, a firecracker that resembles a dynamite, is a legal firecracker that makes a whistling sound before it explodes.

The DOH then urged the public to think twice before lighting fireworks.

“Household use of fireworks is a risk not only to yourself but to your family,” the health department said in a statement.

On Wednesday the DOH tallied a total of 557 FWRI, with 306 cases coming from the NCR.

NCR is followed by Ilocos Region with 55; Central Luzon with 42 and CALABARZON with 39. 

The DOH said 555 of the 557 injuries are due to fireworks while one case is due to Watusi ingestion and another was hurt by stray-bullet. Two out of 10 cases involved illegal firecrackers. 

Ninety-seven percent of the FWRI cases happened at home and on the streets where 59 of the new cases involved legal fireworks.