Malaysia: 30 per cent increase in acute respiratory infections in state

Lim How Pim The Borneo Post 18 Sep 15;

KOTA SAMARAHAN: Sarawak saw a 30 per cent increase in acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases last week due to transboundary haze.

Health Department state director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan said the data was gathered by all sentinel clinics throughout the state.

“We do not have the exact figure, but we have sentinel clinics that gather ARI weekly. For last week, from September 7 to 13, we registered an increase of 30 per cent for ARI. These are non-admission cases,” he told journalists after opening the second Sarawak Pressure Injury Update 2015 yesterday.

Dr Zulkifli pointed out that the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings for Kuching and Samarahan (at the time of interview) had exceeded 200.

“It is at very unhealthy level now. The advice from us is the same as what we have given. First, you must avoid going outdoors and if you cannot help but must go outdoors, use a mask and this is especially for people who have respiratory problems or are asthmatic or with infections or chronic lung diseases,” he said.

He also called for a reduction of physical and sports-related activities.

“If you go jogging or brisk-walking, you inhale more haze.”

He added that schools, particularly in Samarahan and Kuching, were asked to close yesterday due to the high API reading and should remain so until the API readings drop.

“The instruction for schools closure does not come from us; it comes from the Education Department or the Security Council.

“If I’m not mistaken, it is school holidays next week. So the schools can close early for the holidays,” he said.

According to the state government almanac, the second mid-term school break is from this Saturday until Sept 27.

Haze takes its toll on Sarawakians
Geryl Ogilvy Ruekeith The Borneo Post 18 Sep 15;

KUCHING: The air quality in the Kuching, Serian and Samarahan divisions have reached a very unhealthy level yesterday with Air Pollutant Index (API) rating exceeding 200, prompting the state Education Department to close all schooling sessions.

A total of 398 primary schools and 65 secondary schools in the districts of Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Kota Samarahan, Serian and Simunjan were ordered to close, affecting 185,000 students.

The Education Ministry announced in a statement yesterday that all schools in haze-hit areas which were forced to close had to remain closed today.

The API index was highest at 10am with a reading of 209 while Kota Samarahan hit a 210 rating an hour later. By 5pm, the ratings had decreased to 189 and 196 respectively to remain at an unhealthy level.

State Disaster Relief Committee chairman, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu explained that the Education Ministry’s standard operating procedure (SOP) required schools to be closed once the API exceeds 200. Schools must not carry out activities outside the classrooms when the rating was more than 150.

“We will continue to monitor the situation these next two days because the wind direction from south westerly will continue to bring in haze, arising from the hotspots in Kalimantan, right to Kuching, Serian and Samarahan. The wind pattern is not expected to change drastically,” Jabu told a press conference held at his office in Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.

Also present at the media conference preceded by an earlier briefing chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister were state National Security Council (NSC) assistant secretary Shalihin Annuar and Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) controller Peter Sawal.

When asked on the cloud seeding operation, Jabu said only one mission had been carried out since the operation started on Sept 15 as poor visibility and insufficient availability of clouds had affected operations.

NSC and the Meteorological Department are monitoring the situation and that cloud seeding would be carried out as soon as possible subjected to approval from KIA’s Air Traffic Control, he added.

Jabu also mentioned that as of yesterday, there were no hotspots detected in Sarawak.

Meanwhile as at 3pm, the haze had led to the cancellation of nine Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) flights in the Kuching-Tanjung Manis, Kuala Lumpur-Kuching, Kuching-Pontianak and Kuching-Mulu sectors. A total of 110 passengers were affected.

Kuching International Aiport (KIA) senior manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim said yesterday 18 flights were delayed, comprising seven departures and 11 arrivals, and affecting 2,478 passengers of MAB, Air Asia, Expressair and Malindo Air.

He advised all passengers to check the flying schedules with their respective airlines before heading to the airport.

Mohd Nadzim added that visibility yesterday was about 1,300 metres.

NREB has put on hold all open burning applications since August and that officers will continue to go to the ground to detect illegal open burning activities.

The Health Department is also distributing face masks to those working outdoors in high risk areas.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Globe reported Indonesian police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti as saying that the number of palm oil and logging companies charged with setting forest fires that have generated toxic haze spreading as far as Singapore and Malaysia had risen to seven.

Indonesian police have received 148 reports of fires being set deliberately in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and currently investigating 27 companies.

Investigators have charged seven of the companies for slash-and-burn clearing of peat forests – three in South Sumatra province, one in Riau province and three in Central Kalimantan – under the 2014 Plantations Law and the 2009 Environmental Protection and Management Law.

The API rating is measured as Good for reading between 0-50, Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy (101-200), Very Unhealthy (201-300) and Hazardous if it is above 300.