Four Serious Lung Infection Diseases to Watch Out for

JAKARTA - The Chairman of the Honorary Assembly of the Indonesian Pulmonary Doctors Association (PDPI), Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, reminded the importance of increasing vigilance against a number of severe lung infections that have the potential to have a serious impact on public health.

Referring to the Disease Outbreak News report from the World Health Organization (WHO) released in December 2025 and January to February 2026, Prof. Tjandra said that there were at least four types of severe pulmonary infectious diseases that needed attention.

The four are Avian Influenza or bird flu, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), Super Flu, and diseases caused by the Nipah virus.

In a written statement confirmed on Monday, Prof. Tjandra explained that during the period 2023-2025, the mortality rate due to avian flu in six countries within the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) working area was quite high, reaching 66.3 percent.

Indonesia itself is included in the group of countries in the WPRO region with a relatively high bird flu death rate, which is around 84 percent. Meanwhile, some subtypes of influenza viruses that cause bird flu circulating in the region include H3N8, H7N4, H7N9, H9N2, H10N3, and H10N5. Based on WHO WPRO data until January 2026, the last report of bird flu cases in this region was from Cambodia in 2025.

Apart from bird flu, Prof. Tjandra also highlighted MERS-CoV as a severe respiratory infection that should be wary of. The WHO report in December 2025 noted 17 cases of MERS-CoV reported in Saudi Arabia throughout 2025.

According to him, this situation needs to be a special concern for Indonesia, considering the high mobility of umrah pilgrims and preparations for the Hajj season.

Another type of severe lung infection is Super Flu, which is caused by the influenza A H3N2 subclade K virus. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Japan, even reissued an influenza warning for the first time in 17 years as the number of influenza cases in the region surged.

Not only in Japan, the increase in cases of Influenza B was also reported in South Korea and Japan in early February 2026. The United States also recorded a similar trend in cases. Prof. Tjandra added that cases of Influenza B were also found in Indonesia.

The fourth disease that needs to be anticipated is Nipah virus infection. This virus can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with the body fluids of infected animals. Nipah infection is known to cause atypical pneumonia which can potentially develop into severe pulmonary disorders to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Closing his statement, Prof. Tjandra emphasized the importance of strengthening surveillance of viruses that cause lung and respiratory tract infections in Indonesia. These efforts are considered crucial so that the potential for outbreaks can be detected earlier and handled appropriately.