Professor of Environmental Health Faculty of Public Health (FPH) University of Indonesia (UI), Prof. Dr. Budi Haryanto, S.K.M., M.Kes., M.Sc., was invited as a speaker at the Workshop on Climate Change and Health. The event, which was held on September 6-7, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawaii, was organized in collaboration with the e-ASIA Joint Research Program (JRP) Secretariat, the East-West Center, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This activity was attended by speakers and participants from various countries such as the USA, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
At the workshop, Prof. Budi Haryanto was specifically asked to provide material on climate change and infectious diseases. Prof. Budi presented a material entitled “Climate Change, Air Pollution and Respiratory Diseases: Indonesia’s Report”. Mentioned in his material that air pollution is the 4th risk factor for premature death worldwide. “WHO has stated that air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in the world. Indonesia ranks second after China which is the country with the highest risk factor for death due to air pollution,” said Prof. Budi in the delivery of the material.
Through these materials, Prof. Budi also explained how particle pollution affects the respiratory system. It was also stated that the increase in air pollution levels in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, was related to the high cases of related diseases such as pneumonia and acute respiratory infections. Regarding COVID-19, Prof. Budi said that the risk of death in cases of COVID-19 was 4.5 times greater in areas with high pollution than in areas with low pollution.
This workshop was organized with the aim of bringing together leading regional scientists from sharing research interests and the latest findings related to climate change and health, encouraging potential collaboration among participating scientists and institutions, and providing the e-ASIA JRP with the opportunity to gather information that will inform the call for collaborative research applications on climate change and health. (wrk)
