With the current raging forest fires in Indonesia that have caused haze to blanket many areas in the Visayas and Mindanao including Negros Oriental, a pulmonologist here on Friday advised the public to wear protective masks and take the necessary precautions until the sky clears up.
“Wear N95 masks and stay indoors as often as possible,” Dr. Caesar Antonio O. Ligo said.
Many city residents have started coming down with respiratory symptoms and Ligo said there is already a spike in the number of patients seeking treatment for such problems, although not all are related to the haze.
Patients with asthma and those who have hypersensitive airways, such as those suffering from allergic rhinitis and sinusitis, and the elderly are more vulnerable to the effects of the haze over Negros Oriental right now, he said.
“These are very toxic triggers for an attack, so they may have to stay indoors and protect themselves when they are outdoors,” the doctor stressed, referring to the small particulate matter carried by the haze in a polluted environment.
Ligo recommended taking the necessary precautions as nobody can tell how long the haze will last.
The N95 mask is not absolute prevention from smoke inhalation due to the haze “but at least there is a barrier from the atmosphere to the upper respiratory tract,” he said.
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Media reports said that the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) regional offices had announced that the haze already reached certain parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, and it was being enhanced by the “habagat” or the southwest monsoon.
More tests are being currently done to determine the Air Quality Index (AQI) in areas covered by the haze.
The EMB-7 explained on its Facebook page that haze caused by forest fires can cause air pollution and AQI at abnormal levels can be hazardous to the health of humans and even animals.
Monitoring continues for PM 2.5, a particulate matter so tiny and light that it stays longer in the air than heavier particles.
Meanwhile, even before the haze, due to the change of temperature plus the “influenza season” in October, there has been a noticeable increase in the cases of upper respiratory tract infections, Ligo said.
Now with the haze, he expects the number of cases to go a little higher, he added.
When the symptoms become unusual or have reached a higher level than what a person normally experiences, then it is time to consult a doctor, Ligo said. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
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