Riau Health Office Asks Regencies/Cities To Be Alert To The Impact Of Smoke Fog

PHOTO OF ILLUSTRATION VIA BETWEEN/Smog fog enveloping residential areas in the city of Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Friday (29/9/2023) ANTARA/Iggoy el Fitra

PeKANBARU - Riau Provincial Health Office asked health offices at the district and city levels to be aware of the bad effects of smog due to forest and land fires on public health.

Head of the Riau Provincial Health Office Zainal Arifin said the district/city health office had been asked to hold cross-sector coordination meetings to increase preparedness to deal with the impact of smoke due to forest and land fires or forest and land fires.

"Vocation of smoke due to forest and land fires that occurred in South Sumatra, Jambi, Lampung, including several districts and cities in Riau is feared to have an impact on health in the short and long term," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, October 3.

According to him, socialization needs to be mobilized to increase residents' understanding of efforts to prevent the bad effects of smog on health.

"You must actively socialize and increase public awareness of implementing PHBS (clean and healthy living patterns)," he said.

Health offices at the district/city level must also alert health service facilities to deal with health problems due to smog and prepare mask stocks to be distributed to residents in need.

According to him, the Riau Provincial Health Office will distribute more than 5,000 masks to residents and provide mask stock for residents at the puskesmas starting Wednesday (4/10)

Zainal also conveyed the need to increase surveillance activities to detect health problems that arise due to smog, such as respiratory tract infections and eye irritation.

"Regions need to increase surveillance of diseases related to the environment and seasons at the puskesmas and hospital levels and provide sufficient logistics for disease prevention and control efforts," he said.