HEALTH CARE

According to 2019 data from the “Global Burden of Disease”, 262 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. Asthma, which may attack anyone, regardless of age or gender, is characterized by chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract. Its symptoms include difficulty breathing, constriction of the throat, and excessive production of mucus. 

All healthy, sane, and capable Muslims must perform the fifth pillar ritual of Islam, i.e., going on a hajj pilgrimage, to heed Allah’s call. The hajj ritual is a physical ritual to express the gratitude of the servant to the Lord– to voluntarily make the sacrifice necessary to reach the Baitullah, the House of the Lord, within a specific time period and performing the specific rituals just to praise Allah. 

Thalassemia is a genetic blood abnormality, one that requires regular blood transfusions and chelation therapy for a lifetime. The pattern of its inheritance follows the outlines of Mendel’s Law (see schematic). 

“Immunization is an important basic element in health protection. It is especially beneficial for protecting children from immunization preventable diseases (IPD). However, immunization services have been suspended because of the pandemic and the erroneous stigma relating to vaccination. It is time for us to catch up with the delayed completion of our vaccination scheme to ensure that Indonesia’s children are safe.” This is the message in the World Immunization Week (WIW) 2023 media briefing, “Catch Up with Immunization Coverage, Protect our Golden Generation”, organized by GSK on Monday (8/5/2023). 

The WHO estimates that Plasmodium vivax causes 41% of the malaria burden outside of Africa, with 48% of the world’s population at risk from the parasite’s infection. Globally, the number of Plasmodium vivax malaria cases decreased from 25 million in 2000 to 14 million in 2017. India, Indonesia, and Pakistan account for just over 80% of the global vivax malaria case burden. 

Extreme heat swept through multiple regions in Indonesia recently. The heat is generally accompanied by an increase in the mosquito population. Therefore, the Ministry of Health warns the public to be wary of both dehydration and mosquito-borne diseases, especially malaria and dengue fever.

Digitization in the health sector makes it easier for people to access quality health services. People with HIV (ODHIV) need lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ARV), but they are also vulnerable to contracting infections if they visit the hospital frequently. To ensure that ODHIVs continues to seek treatment during a pandemic and reduce the number of visits to health facilities, USAID EpiC Indonesia, in collaboration with Jakarta Health Agency, has launched Jak-Anter program since April 2020. 

World Bipolar Day is commemorated on 30 March each year, the same date as the birthday of legendary artist Vincent van Gogh as a moment to remind everyone of the importance of mental health. In 2023, the theme is “Bipolar Together”, as it is crucial for bipolar disorder sufferers to know that they are not alone. 

This week, we are moving toward the final week of Ramadan. It is a moment when Indonesian people mudik, or return to their hometowns, using land, sea, or air transport. It is a much-awaited moment, when citizens working in the big city get to reunite with their parents and siblings who have scattered across the country, or even the world. It is also a beneficial tradition for the local economy, especially small trading and industry.

In 2022, the Minister of Health reported the detection of 700,000 active cases of tuberculosis (“TB”) in our country. This is the highest number of cases detected since TB became a priority national health program. Indonesia has the second-highest number of TB sufferers after India, with a total of 969,000 cases and an annual death rate of 93,000. That’s a death rate of 11 deaths an hour.

Ramadan is a great moment for people to maintain or improve their health by, among others, sustaining normal blood glucose and blood pressure levels. Fasting, refraining from eating and drinking for approximately 12 hours, beginning at dawn and ending at Iftar at Maghrib, means the body does not have any calorie intake during that period.