Respiratory infection on the rise in Tangerang
Written by Writer on Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Respiratory infection on the rise in Tangerang
The Jakarta Post | Fri, 10/24/2008 5:05 PM | Jakarta
The Tangerang regental health agency has warned all public health centers (puskesmas) across the regency to be on allert following rapid increase in acute respiratory infection disease (ISPA) that attacts more children this year.
“We have recorded a total of 5,764 children under five years old who have suffered ISPA since January,” Yuli Sunar Dewanti, head of communicable disease prevention at the agency told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
She said the figure would likely increase should there is preventive efforts because as many as 1,883 cases out of the total figure were found only in the past two months.
Yuli said 47 puskesmas in 36 districts across the regency had also been instructed to improve service and make preventive efforts through early detection because ISPA is slated to be main cause of death to children aging under five years in the regency.
“ISPA can easily spread out, espeically during the transition from drought to wet season and therefore we also call on the society to be careful,” she said.
She said the agency had also made a marathon visit to all puskesmas and told officers to deliver direct guidance to community members in the fields in an attempt to curb wider spread of the disease.
Data at the agency showed that ISPA cases in the regency had drastically increased from 2,058 last year to 5,764 this year.
“We obliged every puskesmas to train caders for emergency response in populated areas especialy and we have also prepared medicine to be distributed to all puskesmas,” she said.
In response to the agency instruction, Endang S. Sumarah, head of Pondok Aren Puskesmas said that she had trained 11 caders for emergency response not only for ISPA anticipation but also for possible flooding.
“We have even formed a team and established a guidance post in order that we can serve patients and community members faster,” she said.
