Dominated by Children and Elderly, South Jakarta Health Office Handles 8,600 ISPA Cases

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The South Jakarta Health Sub-District Office handled more than 8,600 cases of Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ISPA) in 2025, predominantly involving child patients and the elderly. “ISPA cases in South Jakarta reached more than 8,600 in 2025, with the majority affecting children and the elderly,” said the Head of the Public Health Section of the South Jakarta Administrative City, Evelyne Hotma Fransisca, during an ISPA education session at the Pancoran Sub-District Office, Jakarta, on Wednesday. Evelyn explained that ISPA is an infection affecting the respiratory tract and can be prevented through the implementation of clean and healthy living patterns at the household level. Vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly are the most impacted due to their lower immune resistance. The South Jakarta Health Sub-District Office also stressed the importance of the Healthy Living Community Movement (GERMAS), which starts from oneself, family, to the surrounding environment. According to her, the activity aims to mobilise health cadres to be more active in educating the public about the symptoms, dangers, and prevention steps for ISPA. “We hope that cadres can disseminate this information to the community so that prevention efforts can be maximised,” she stated. In addition, Evelyne said, the South Jakarta Health Sub-District Office plans to conduct similar outreach through activities in 10 sub-districts to expand the reach of health education. Meanwhile, the Deputy Head of Pancoran Sub-District, Rudy Cahyadi, said that they face challenges in handling ISPA, especially due to an increase in cases at the beginning of 2026. “Around 1,000 ISPA cases were recorded in the Pancoran area at the start of the year, but by March 2026, it began to show a decline,” said Rudy. He assessed that collaboration between the sub-district government, community health centres, and various parties is a concrete step in curbing ISPA numbers in the area. “We hope this cooperation can continue, so that it can reduce ISPA cases in Pancoran,” he stated. Referring to data from the DKI Jakarta Provincial Health Office, there were 2.5 million ISPA cases throughout January to November 2025.