ISPA cases highly increase in Banjar District due to karhutla

Martapura, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The Banjar District Health Agency is anticipating the highly cases of patients suffering from acute respiratory infections (ISPA) as a result of smog from forest and land fires (karhutla).

"We are now anticipating (the highly) ISPA cases as a result of smog from karhutla," said Head of Disease Prevention and Control Service at the Banjar Health Office Seger in Martapura, Friday.

In January this year, the office recorded as many as 3,256 ISPA cases in the district, and the number remain the same in February.

Then in March it lightly reducing to 3,009 cases and continue to reduce to 2,890 cases in April, but then increasing again to 3,099 in May and it became 2,790 in June, and highly increased to 4,249 cases in July.

"The last data that we have collected was in July, whereas the the data for August is still being recapulated and will be known in September. Possibly cases increasing," he said.

Based on the data of the Center for Disaster Management Control Operation (Pusdalops PB) of the South Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency as of Saturday (August 19, 2023) Banjar District was the third largest forest and land fires in South Kalimantan covering an area of 287 hectares.

Related news: 7,735 hotspots detected in South Kalimantan

According to Seger, the office has urged people to be vigilant about smog-related illness and all community health centers (puskesmas) are prepared to provide a quick service for ISPA.

People are advised to be aware of smog that fill the air, because it has the potential to cause respiratory tract disorders, which in severe condition can cause death. 

"We urge people to use face mask and officers at each puskesmas to always be ready to serve people affected by  ISPA," he said.
 
The office also asked each puskesmas to provide face masks for patients sufferin from ISPA and his/her family to prevent the spread of the disease.
 
Currently there are 20 boxes of mask availabe at the Health Office containing 100 masks in each box and 20,000 masks at the Banjar Health Office's pharmacy warehouse.