"For our prevention efforts, we have a 6M and 1S strategy," the ministry's director general of disease prevention and control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said.
According to Rondonuwu here Monday, the six Ms include checking the air quality through an application or website and reducing outdoor activities and improperly ventilated homes, offices, schools, and public places when air pollution worsens.
Using indoor air purifiers, avoiding sources of pollution and cigarette smoke, wearing masks, and implementing Clean and Healthy Behavior (PHBS) also fall under the six Ms, he explained.
"While the S consists of immediate consultation with a doctor if respiratory complaints worsen," he remarked.
Rondonuwu noted that the results of surveillance data conducted in the last six months showed an increase in ARI cases reported both at health centers and hospitals in the Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) areas, where the number of cases in Jakarta had reached 100 thousand per month.
Hence, his side continues to make several efforts, including conducting real-time monitoring of ARI and pneumonia cases that occur in health centers and hospitals in Jabodetabek.
"We also make a list of hospitals that can treat pneumonia, especially in Jabodetabek," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Committee for Respiratory Disease Mitigation and the Impact of Air Pollution, Agus Dwi Susanto, stated that a survey from the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) issued in 2022 showed that an increase in air pollution has contributed to an increase in ARI and pneumonia cases in the Jakarta area in a period of almost 10 years after the research was conducted.
Furthermore, citing the results of a survey by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in 2019, Susanto stated that respiratory diseases are among the 10 most common diseases in Indonesia, and air pollution is the fifth-highest risk factor for death in Indonesia after hypertension, blood sugar, smoking, and obesity.
Hence, he suggested the community to implement the 6M and 1S movement, especially for people with respiratory diseases, as well as vulnerable groups that are easily affected by air pollution, such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with comorbidities.
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Translator: Sean Filo M, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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