The critical figure is 25% higher than the number of injuries compared to the previous year
The Governorate of Antioch warned about the critical health outlook in the department by confirming that the number of people injured by gunpowder amounted to 90 caseswhile the burn units reached the 100% occupancy throughout the region.
Under the campaign “I am Anti-Gunpowder”the departmental administration reinforced the call for prevention after registering two new incidents in the last 24 hours, warning that the hospital network does not have the availability to attend to new highly complex emergencies.
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The most recent cases, reported by the Ministry of Health and Social Inclusion, involve two men in different contexts. In the municipality of Heliconiaa 30-year-old citizen suffered first-degree burns on his arm from handling “totes”; in parallel, in Medellina 34-year-old man was injured in his hand by a rocket while he was simply observing.
These facts raise the historical accumulation to 90 victimsfar exceeding the 73 injured that were recorded on the same date during the year 2024.
The situation is especially alarming due to the total collapse of units specialized in burn care, both for pediatric and adult patients. The Government emphasized that this full capacity in healthcare centers puts the lives of future affected people at risk, since there is no immediate response capacity for plastic surgeries or reconstructive treatments.
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Despite the increase in physical burns, authorities confirmed that, so far, no white phosphorus or methanol poisoning has been detected in the department.
Finally, the institutional campaign emphasizes that “joy is not burned, it is shared”urging Antioquians to celebrate the end of the year festivities without the use of fireworks. The call seeks to prevent the number of injured from continuing to grow in a season where the health system is already at the limit of its capabilities. Local and departmental authorities will maintain constant monitoring and epidemiological surveillance to mitigate the impact of these devices on the integrity of citizens.
