Good news: Injuries caused by firecrackers hit all-time low

Hospitals see a dramatic fall in festival-related accidents

The number of burn injuries, usually high during the week Deepavali is celebrated, has come down drastically this year.

“We have only received four cases compared to last year’s 15,” says Dr Ramesha K T, head of the department, plastic surgery, Victoria Hospital. The injuries are not serious.

Of the four injured is an adult. “They’ve only received minor burns on the hand and face,” he adds. Minto Eye Hospital has treated 11 firework-related incidents this year. “We had the most number of cases, seven, on Sunday. Last year, over a week, we had 45 cases,” says Dr Sujatha Rathod, director.

This year all patients coming in for treatment are children. Many were innocent bystanders, she says.

“Two have excessive bleeding so we have to wait and see whether they have suffered any serious nerve damage,” she explains.

Narayana Nethralaya has seen 16 cases as compared to last year’s 50, says director, Dr Bhujang Shetty. “There’s only one case of a 22-year-old that’s serious. The unfortunate thing is that most patients are children,” he adds.

Apollo Hospitals saw about 60 patients last year but reported no Deepavali-related cases this year, a first for the hospital. Other private hospitals like BGS Gleneagles Global and Aster DM also have also seen no Deepavali-related injury cases this year.