Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has warned that the climate crisis is accelerating the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and dengue fever, as extreme weather patterns reshape public health risks across the country.
According to Dianadewi Riswantini, a researcher at BRIN’s Center for Data and Information Science Research, climate change is not only impacting physical environments but also exacerbating human health threats. Factors such as rising air temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, and declining water quality are contributing to increased transmission of diseases.
“Through our climate epidemiology studies, we aim to understand, plan, and prevent the wide-ranging impacts of climate change,” Dianadewi said in a statement Monday (May 19). “Our findings are intended to help the government anticipate health risks and design adaptation strategies to protect public welfare.”
One recent study, titled Potential Risk of New Tuberculosis Cases in West Java, analyzed spatial and temporal patterns of new TB cases across the province using data from 2019 to 2022. The research team incorporated information from Indonesia’s national health insurance agency (BPJS), West Java Statistics Agency (BPS), Open Data platforms, and the Copernicus Climate database.
The results identified Karawang, Majalengka, and Kuningan regencies as hotspots with strong spatio-temporal interactions for TB spread, indicating significant increases in cases over time and across locations. Bogor, Sukabumi, Karawang, and Bandung regencies consistently showed high relative risk, with TB risk levels ranging from 1 to 15.
“Targeted policy interventions are urgently needed, particularly in Karawang, to curb the spread of TB,” Dianadewi noted.
The study also mapped key factors influencing TB incidence using regression-based statistical analysis that factored in time and space. Significant variables included daily rainfall, humidity, population density, access to clean water and sanitation, poverty levels, and labor force participation.
“With this data-driven approach, we hope to provide local governments with evidence-based guidance in setting health intervention priorities and climate adaptation strategies,” she said.
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Beyond TB, climate-driven ecological shifts are also altering vector populations, which could fuel outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue, and chikungunya, according to Dianadewi.
She added that extreme weather conditions are increasingly linked to respiratory issues like asthma and allergies, while climate-related disruptions to food and water systems are contributing to outbreaks of typhoid, cholera, diarrhea, and malnutrition.
The mental health toll is another growing concern. “Worsening environmental instability is affecting community mental health,” she said. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat has also been linked to higher risks of cardiovascular diseases and strokes, some of which can be fatal.
As Indonesia grapples with the effects of climate change, researchers are urging policymakers to integrate health risks into climate resilience planning to protect vulnerable populations particularly from infectious diseases.
(Raidi/Agung)
