Head Of BKKBN: Houses With Top Aspes Can Cause Occupants Affected By Tuberculosis

JAKARTA - Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Hasto Wardoyo highlighted that houses using asbestos as roofs can cause family members living in them to be at risk of contracting Tuberculosis (TB).

"The house that is built with a roof using asbestos, includes uninhabitable houses. It can cause residents to be susceptible to TB disease," said Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, July 18.

Hasto said that slowly falling asbestos debris can be inhaled into the family's respiratory tract. The flakes can also nest in the lungs for a long time.

He gave an example as in Tegal Timur, Tegal City, Central Java. A total of 36.58 percent were recorded as owning houses with uninhabitable conditions, so Hasto suggested that families use roofs from zinc that are considered healthier for families. In addition to the roof of the asbestos, uninhabitable houses are also marked by a window of a house that is not more than 10 percent of the house and floor area of houses that are not made of ceramics.

Not only the condition of uninhabitable houses, Hasto also highlighted that 25.51 percent of families in East Tegal gave birth to more than three children. Where 25.7 percent of them are known to be too old to get pregnant from the number of fertile age couples (PUS).

"So, there is still a need for more campaigns for the family," he said.

Hasto also asked the East Tegal local government to increase clean water sources for residents so as not to cause children to be stunted. In the data he has, as many as 54 families (KK) have not consumed proper water.

It is feared that not only TB due to the asbestos earlier, children can also get diarrhea due to infections from bacteria contained in the water that are not suitable for consumption.

The West Tegal area also has the same problem. We know this data from the report of the Family Assistance Team (TPK). Therefore, the Ministry of PUPR will be involved in handling stunting cases through a program to build communal latrines," he said.