Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Health Ministry has mobilized a massive medical response across seven provinces as severe forest and land fires pushed cumulative acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases past 113,000 as of September 9.
Speaking at a press conference at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) headquarters in Jakarta, Health Ministry spokesperson Widyawati reported 113,336 ARI cases across 63 regencies and cities in South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Jambi, Riau, and South Sumatra.
”The ARI case reports are categorized by age group: 26,545 cases involved toddlers aged 0 to 5 years, while 86,791 cases occurred in the group aged over 5 years,” Widyawati said, noting that the surge directly correlates with Air Pollution Standard Index levels hitting “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” thresholds.
To mitigate the health impact of the toxic smog, the ministry has activated an extensive healthcare safety net—readying 1,691 community health centers (puskesmas) and 360 referral hospitals across the seven affected provinces to manage incoming patients.
The emergency medical deployment includes 18,457 general practitioners alongside nearly 1,000 specialists in pulmonology, ENT, and ophthalmology—supported by teams of nurses, midwives, epidemiologists, and sanitarians.
The ministry has also distributed critical supplies, including 980,315 masks, 277 oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, personal protective equipment (PPE), face shields, and air purifiers to the frontline provinces.
In addition, 87 public health laboratories have been activated for routine air quality monitoring, alongside the deployment of the public safety center (PSC) 119 emergency dispatch network.
The government urged residents in affected areas to remain calm, wear protective masks outdoors, maintain hydration, and seek immediate medical assistance at local health centers if experiencing shortness of breath.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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