UNAIR NEWS – Student Executive Board of Faculty of Public Health (FKM) UNAIR held a seminar on public health careers. It was a joint effort between the Scientific Division and the Professional Studies Division (Kaprof) APHSA (Airlangga Public Health Student Association) BEM Faculty of Public Health UNAIR.
The seminar was held on April 20, 2024, in Soemarto Hall FKM. The theme was “Navigation through Climate Change: Integration of Proactive Mitigation and Adaptive Surveillance in Improving Public Health.” The seminar presented three speakers: Dr. R. Azizah SH MKes, lecturer in the Environmental Health Department at FKM UNAIR; Thufail Muttaqin SKM, HSE practitioner at a multinational mining service company; and Cahya Yuliani SKM, the first expert health epidemiologist at East Java Provincial Health Office.
Climate change impact
Dr. Azizah talked about climate change in Indonesia. She gave examples of how climate change affects the environment in Indonesia and around the world, such as long droughts and floods. These are the effects of extreme climate change. “These impacts we feel should make us aware of them, adapt, and make mitigation actions to minimize effects,” she said.
Then, Thufail encouraged the audience to start saving the Earth. For instance, they can reduce water and electricity, manage waste properly (3R), plant more trees, reduce aerosol gas, and start using public transportation.
“Right now, there’s a project called Climate Village. It includes reforestation, medicinal plant planting, integrated farming, micro-hydro, waste management, animal waste management into biogas, and more. This project is a way to raise awareness about the earth and the environment. Hopefully, it can be applied in various regions later,” explained Thufail.
The third speaker, Cahya, talked about human health. He said that climate change can affect epidemiological balance. As a result, new diseases that are bad for humans could spread. “Climate change is affecting the spread of disease, especially infectious diseases. So, we need to fit in and prepare for the worst,” she said.
Author: Annisa Nabila
Editor: Yulia Rahmawati
