Fireworks-related injuries during the new year period--Naples, 1992-93

Abstract

Celebrating the new year with fireworks is traditional in Italy. A national surveillance system maintained by police indicated that on New Year's Eve 1992, more than 1100 fireworks-related injuries and four deaths occurred in Italy (Ministry of the Interior, unpublished data, 1993). In many areas of the country, the use of fireworks begins several weeks before the new year and continues through the Epiphany (January 6). To characterize fireworks-related injuries in the province of Naples--an area that contains less than 6% of the total population of Italy but accounts for 15% of the reported fireworks-related injuries in the country--the Regional Health Observatory of Campania and the Italian field epidemiology training program implemented an active surveillance system in each of the 18 public emergency rooms (ERs) in the province (1992 population: 3.5 million). This report summarizes surveillance results for the new year period 1992-93.