Jakarta Health Agency recorded an increasing trend of Acute Respiratory Infections or ISPA at 146,000 per month this year. The number increased if compared to the period during the pandemic but no more than the trend in 2018 and 2019. Therefore, the Health Agency considers Jakarta’s air pollution yet to be deemed as an emergency situation.
“The data on the diseases related to unhealthy air quality, which are acute respiratory inspections (ISPA), pneumonia, asthma, and others, in general in 2023, the trend is not much different to the number of cases before the pandemic,” said the acting chief of Jakarta Health Agency, Ani Ruspitawati, at her office on Wednesday, August 16.
According to Ani, the number did not change significantly; it was still fluctuating due to weather conditions. “Usually it shows a high trend at the beginning of the year, but this time, it hasn’t shown a decline due to the long dry season,” she added.
She explained that climate change also changes disease patterns. However, she affirmed that Jakarta Health Agency continues to monitor the number and cases that are relatively normal and do not show a significant increase.
