DOH: Road crashes now top cause of holiday injuries

Road crash injuries have overtaken firework-related incidents as the leading public health concern during the holiday season, with cases doubling compared to last year, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday.

In a press briefing at Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC), DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the agency recorded a significant drop in firework-related injuries this year, but road crashes have surged dramatically.

“Ang napansin namin for this year, mababa na ang fireworks injuries pero karamihan sa kanila mga bata… Ito ay bumaba ng 14%, so good news.

(Fireworks injuries are now lower by 14%, which is good news, and most involved children. so this is good news.)

"Sa road crash naman, sampung hospital lang sinurvey namin pero ang numero namin 1,384. Napakarami po… (But road injuries are rising sharply. In our survey of just 10 hospitals, we recorded 1,384 cases; that's a lot)," he said.

The noted rise in road crashes will cause the DOH to shift in focus for holiday health monitoring, according to Herbosa.

“This is what I will be asking for attention. Road crash injuries that increased 100% since last year have now become a major public health problem.”

"Tumataas po ang road injuries. Tututukan namin ang road injury at road safety (This is a public health problem that we must focus on),” he said.

Based on DOH monitoring from December 21, 2025, to 5 a.m. on January 5, 2026, there were 720 firework-related injuries nationwide, down 14% from 834 cases recorded during the same period in 2024–2025.

By contrast, road crash injuries totaled 1,384, compared to 690 cases last year—a 101% increase.

Of the 1,384 road crash injuries, 10 fatalities were recorded, including seven motorcycle riders, six of whom were not wearing helmets, and three pedestrians.

Nearly half of the victims—647 cases (47%)—were aged 15 to 29, and 171 cases involved drivers under the influence of alcohol.

Non-Communicable Diseases

The DOH also reported a rise in non-communicable disease (NCD) cases during the holidays.

Authorities recorded 422 cases nationwide from December 21 to January 5, a 10% increase from last year, including 124 cases of acute coronary syndrome, 235 strokes, and 63 bronchial asthma attacks.

NCDs caused 12 deaths, seven from stroke and five from acute coronary syndrome.

“Non-communicable diseases are linked to lifestyle. Those with hypertension or diabetes need to manage their conditions year-round. The same applies to road safety,” Herbosa said.

The DOH’s holiday monitoring covered firework injuries, road-crash victims, and heart, stroke, and asthma cases.—MCG, GMA Integrated News