Ministry Of Health Reminds The Public Not To Underestimate The Impact Of Air Pollution

Illustration. The multilevel building is disguised by the fog of air pollution in Jakarta, Monday, July 8, 2019. (ANTARA-M Risyal H).

JAKARTA - Head of the Bureau of Communication and Public Services of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Siti Nadia Tarmizi appealed to the public not to take lightly the impact caused by air pollution such as pneumonia. "When the COVID-19 pandemic, many victims die from pneumonia, meaning that it cannot be taken lightly because it can cause death," he said in a discussion related to air pollution which was followed online in Jakarta, Thursday, August 31. Nadia said pneumonia was a prolonged impact of accelerated air pollution. At first, he explained, starting with coughs and runny noses, which were caused by allergic reactions to pollutants that were in the air for a long time.

Recently, he continued, it will affect unsuitable health conditions, which can increase the risk of bacterial transmission to infection. "In severe conditions, infection of these bacteria can become pneumonia," he said. In addition, said Nadia, asthma sufferers will generally get asthma more often when exposed to air pollution. If people continue to be contaminated with air pollution for a long time, he continued, then it can cause bad things to human health. "In the long term exposed to this pollutants, of course there will be more diseases that we see three more, namely lung cancer, TB, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (PPOK)," said Nadia.

For this reason, said Nadia, the Ministry of Health has made various efforts, which began with carrying out a 6M&1S movement campaign, consisting of checking air quality through applications or websites, secondly reducing outdoor activity and closing ventilation for homes, offices, schools, and public places during high air pollution, and thirdly using indoor air clarity. Then, the fourthly avoiding sources of pollution and cigarette smoke, the fifth is using masks during high air pollution, the sixth is carrying out clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS), as well as immediately consulting online or offline with health workers if there are respiratory complaints. "This is of course our common step, so people need to take care of themselves and don't take it lightly (about the impact of air pollution)," said Siti.