COVID extends to Indonesians fleeing the burning ash of Semeru | Natural Issues

Surabaya, Indonesia – Dugijan, a farmer from Curuk Kobokan village at the foot of Mount Semeru in Indonesia, was asleep in his home when he was awakened by a deafening explosion.

When he stepped out the front door, he saw his friends and neighbors rush to safety when the volcano erupted, spewing ash and debris up to 4km (2.5 miles) in the sparkling sky.

“The road was dark and muddy. People were running and screaming. It was raining and lightning was flashing around the mountain. It looked like Judgment Day, “the 60-year-old told Al Jazeera.

“I thought I could never do it. It was raining and I had no strength to run. So I started walking slowly and leaving everything in God’s hands. ”

On his way to the nearest mosque, where he hid for three hours before help arrived, Dugijan noticed that some of his runners were burned to the ground by the heat of the falling ash cloud. on the villagers.

“I still can’t believe what happened. I can’t go back, I’m so scared. I am old and waiting for my time, but do not give in to such a tragedy, ”he said.

The blast, which occurred Saturday afternoon. killed at least 34 people, many are still missing.

According to Indonesian government officials, more than 3,000 people have fled ashes and mud continue to hide in villages, making rescue difficult and raising questions among experts on how to deal with the problem. Covid-19 plague.

Dr Indi Putra Pratomo, chief medical officer of the COVID-19 Task Force and Pulmonology Medical Unit at Universitas Indonesia Hospital in Depok, near the capital Jakarta, said doctors were still discussing whether the explosion could lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases. , or develop symptoms of COVID-19 in patients.

“We don’t know if the COVID-19 virus and mountain ash will be linked,” he told Al Jazeera.

“But we already know that volcanic eruptions can cause serious lung damage.”

Health problems

Indi said research into the effects of volcanic ash on the lungs has improved significantly in Indonesia, as the country is on the Pacific Ring of Fire and observes catastrophic events, including volcanic eruptions, meaning that ash is something most people go through. the islands can meet them.

Liquid ash is composed of gases and microscopic particles that may include rocks, crystals, and glass, and they can have a detrimental effect on breathing if inhaled.

When the volcano erupted and patients were trapped in the ashes, Indi said emergency services may require advanced respiratory assistance, including bronchoscopy, a medical procedure to place a small tube in the nose or mouth to monitor and treat traumatic injuries. .

For non-emergency cases, patients are usually treated if they have a lung infection using lung medications such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

COVID-19 is also known as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

As a result, people who have had lung damage and scarring after taking COVID-19 or who are still at risk for the virus may be at risk of developing malignant symptoms due to the explosion, “doctors said.

Indonesia has reported more than 4.2 million coronavirus cases since the outbreak and more than 140,000 people have died. More than 100 million people are fully vaccinated out of more than 260 million people, according to a study by the Ministry of Health.

Resettlement

There may be other reasons why the eruption of Mount Semeru could cause the COVID-19 epidemic in Indonesia: the migration of large numbers of locals.

One such refugee, Siyamti Anggraeni, 30, lives at the foot of Mount Semeru in the village of Curah Kobokan.

He has seen the volcano erupt three times before, but he told Al Jazeera that he had never seen anything as dangerous as what happened on Saturday afternoon.

“The roof of my house was toppled with stones. I do not know how many miles I ran with the people in our village. We could not see anything because the cloud of ash was thick, “he told Al Jazeera.

The air was burning. Many of my neighbors are still missing. Ash and mud are as high as houses in some places. We can’t even look for anything because the mud is still hot.

Now Siyamti and his family are staying in a hall in the village of Penanggal in East Java with about 30 others.

Dr Indi worries that the proximity of forced refugees could put them at risk of taking COVID-19 from other refugees.

In October 2021, a study by the Institute of Applied Sciences in Rwanda by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology found that Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May, with an increase in COVID-19 cases in neighboring Rwanda. About 8,000 Congolese people have crossed the border to escape the mountain, which is exacerbating the spread of the virus, researchers said.

Despite initial research and medical knowledge on the dangers of ash extraction after a volcanic eruption, it has been a long time since the actual effects of the Semeru eruption within the COVID-19 epidemic.

“We do not have clear evidence of a total risk,” Indi said.

The blast, which struck Saturday afternoon, killed more than 30 people, and many more are still missing [Photo courtesy of the East Java Regional Disaster Management Agency]