Head of the Surabaya City Health Service Nanik Sukristina stated that her side continued to work to overcome pneumonia or Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) in toddlers by conducting early detection of every toddler with complaints of cough with or without breathing difficulties.
"Children at that age are vulnerable to such disease wherein their immune system has not been formed optimally," she noted in Surabaya on Tuesday.
Sukristina noted that based on data from the Ministry of Health, the estimated cases of pneumonia in children under five in Surabaya had reached 12,900. Meanwhile, findings of the Surabaya Health Service on pneumonia cases in toddlers during the January-August 2022 period were only 8,080, largely constituting those in the age bracket of one to five years.
However, based on early detection of ARI Pneumonia in Surabaya for all ages, there were 11,512 cases.
Children aged one to five years are prone to pneumonia since they often interact with several people and visit various places. Thus, the risk of being exposed to viruses and germs that cause respiratory tract infections is greater among infants up to the age of one year, Sukristina stated.
"In 2021, pneumonia cases in Surabaya in children under five years of age reached 8,760, while in August 2022, there were 8,080 cases. Total cases at all ages in 2021 were 17,693, while in August 2022, the cases decreased to 11,512," she added.
To address this issue, the Surabaya Health Service has made medical efforts for patients with pneumonia, especially in toddler patients, including by conducting case management according to the clinical conditions and examining other influencing factors, such as immunization history.
"The health service will observe the nutritional status and habits of clean and healthy living behavior. If we found an inadequate factor, then we will conduct intervention," Sukristina explained.
She called on Surabaya's residents to apply clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) to prevent pneumonia, such as by washing hands with soap, before and after activities.
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"Eat nutritious food, get enough rest, take vitamins, use masks in public and risky places, carry out complete immunizations for toddlers, and avoid exposure to dust, cigarette smoke, and pollution," she added.
Furthermore, she reminded Surabaya's residents to realize a clean and healthy environment, ensure proper ventilation and access to direct sunlight, and avoid smoking.
"Always implement health protocols, considering the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended. This is because pneumonia transmission has a mechanism similar to COVID-19 transmission, which is airborne transmission," she stated.
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Translator: Abdul Hakim, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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