But with Nusantara situated over 256,000 hectares in the dense forests of East Kalimantan, experts want the government to also anticipate the numerous diseases endemic to the province, including mosquito-borne malaria and lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as kaki gajah, or elephantiasis.

“Contagious diseases only exist if there is interaction between people and the source [of disease]," Riris Andono, an epidemiologist at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta, said on Tuesday. "With the new capital still a forest right now, there are no outbreaks yet. But once people move in, [infections] are bound to happen."

While it would be impossible to stamp out endemic diseases in Kalimantan by 2024, Riris said the government needed to prepare early-detection measures geared to mitigate the health risks.

Public health expert Tjandra Yoga Aditama suggested a thorough epidemiological surveillance, including of pathogens, disease carriers and endemic diseases in the new capital and its surrounding areas.

“[The government needs] to conduct intensive retrospective analysis and prospective surveillance [for diseases], both until the new capital starts its operations and for the years to come,” he said on Tuesday.

According to a 2022 report by the East Kalimantan Health Agency, throughout 2021, the province is still struggling to curb infectious diseases, including malaria, as well as tuberculosis and HIV, all of which have seen an increase in cases compared to 2020.