Wildfire smoke drives surge in respiratory infections
Indonesia is seeing a sharp increase in respiratory illnesses as a prolonged dry season fuels widespread land and forest fires, with health facilities in parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra reporting thousands of additional cases in recent weeks amid worsening air quality.
Indonesia is grappling with a surge in respiratory infections as prolonged dry season and widespread land and forest fires exacerbate air quality. The Health Ministry reported a sharp rise in acute respiratory infections, with 15.6 million cases since January, 200,000 more than the same period last year. While the ministry attributes the increase to the larger outbreaks in densely populated Java provinces, health authorities in fire-affected provinces note a marked rise in respiratory complaints due to haze.
West Kalimantan, with the largest burned areas this year, has seen a sharp increase in emergency room visits for respiratory infections since July. Local hospitals have been instructed to provide 24-hour emergency medical services. Hary Agung Tjahyadi, director of RSUD Dr. Soedarso in Pontianak, attributes the spike to poor air quality.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
