Not only smoking, diseases that attack your respiratory system can also be caused by unhealthy air, filled with pollution and smoke from combustion. That is why, the recent forest fires in Indonesia have increased the number of patients with complaints of their respiratory tract. Communities in Riau and surrounding provinces as well as Central and West Kalimantan have complained of difficulty breathing when doing outdoor activities.
ARI or Acute Respiratory Infection is a respiratory disease that arises as the haze gets worse. ARI is now increasingly endemic among people who live around burning forests. For example, the people of the city of Batam, Riau Archipelago who have become victims of the Riau karhutla. Smoke from forest fires caused an increase in ISPA sufferers by up to 100 percent in September 2019 or two times compared to August 2019.
ARI is a disease caused by viruses and bacteria that attacks the upper respiratory tract, including the nose, sinuses, larynx and pharynx. Several types of viruses that cause ARI are rhinovirus, coronavirus, parainfluenza, and adenovirus. These viruses are able to stay and live for hours outside the human body.
ISPA transmission is also relatively easy. Simple things like touching your nose, mouth or eyes after making contact with sufferers or touching items that have the ARI virus infected with them can make you develop this disease. ISPA viruses and bacteria can also be spread through the air when the sufferer sneezes or coughs.
From this explanation, the smoke haze caused by forest fires is actually not the main cause of ISPA. However, karhutla smoke can facilitate the spread of ISPA. Smog and air pollution contain very small dust particles. These dust particles easily enter the respiratory tract even if you are indoors.
Your nasal cavity is actually equipped with an air filter. This filter can prevent bacteria and coarse particles. However, smoke can pass through this filter because the particles are very fine and small. In addition, smoky air also easily enters through the mouth and throat which are also connected to the lungs. The entry of karhutla smoke into your lungs makes your respiratory system susceptible to allergies, inflammation and infection. This inflammatory condition triggers the production of secretions in the form of mucus or mucus which can be an ideal place for bacteria and viruses. That is why you are more susceptible to catching ARI in bad air conditions due to forest fires.
For you or someone close to you who lives in an area affected by karhutla, don't ignore the symptoms of ARI. If you start complaining of ARI symptoms such as difficulty breathing due to nasal congestion, dry cough, sore throat, and low-grade fever, take immediate action and consult a doctor. The following are steps you can take to deal with ARI due to forest fire smoke.
- much rest
When you have an illness, including ARI, your body works hard to fight viruses and bacteria. For this reason, so that the body can recover quickly, you should avoid strenuous activities. You can get plenty of rest and sleep. In addition, as much as possible reduce outdoor activities so that infection or inflammation in your respiratory system does not get worse.
- Humidify the air
Air that has ideal humidity can help you breathe more comfortably. If you experience symptoms of an ARI in the form of a sore throat and congestion, a humidifier can be of assistance so you can breathe more easily. Humidifiers also prevent your inflammation from getting worse. Keep in mind, inflammation produces mucus which viruses and bacteria like ARI.
- Drink water
In addition to preventing dehydration, drinking lots of water has the function of moisturizing the nose and sinus membranes. Thus you can breathe more easily.
- Keep the diet
If you are attacked by ARI, usually the body becomes weak. In order for your body to have enough energy to fight the viruses and bacteria that cause ARI, you need to eat nutritious foods. Even if you don't have an appetite and your body doesn't even feel hungry, you still have to maintain a regular diet so you can recover quickly. Choose healthy foods. To reduce the risk of developing other diseases, you can eat home-cooked food that is kept clean.
- Taking medicine
Several types of drugs that function to help the recovery process for ISPA are decongestants and ibuprofen or paracetamol. Decongestants can relieve symptoms of a stuffy nose. Meanwhile, ibuprofen or paracetamol can relieve pain and fever due to ARI. If you want to take herbal medicine to relieve symptoms. Don't forget to take the drug according to the recommended dosage.
If ISPA does not go away, immediately visit a doctor and hospital to get further treatment. Don't forget to wear a mask that can prevent smoke particles from entering the body. Besides that, let's support the action to restore the burned forests so that our nature can recover. #LiveExcellently