Indonesian wildfires cause respiratory infections to double in a week, health ministry says
More than 12.5 million people in Indonesia have been exposed to haze caused by fires across seven provinces, says the country's health ministry.
Indonesia's health ministry reports a doubling of respiratory infections over the past week due to hazardous wildfire pollution affecting more than 12.5 million people. Fires have scorched vast areas of forest and peatland, particularly on Sumatra and Borneo islands. This year's wildfire season is the most severe in 11 years, fueled by a super-El Niño weather pattern causing extreme temperatures and droughts.
Fire emissions now constitute a third of global totals. As of September 9, 113,336 individuals had fallen ill from wildfire-related respiratory issues, compared to 50,891 on September 1. Health officials have distributed over a million masks, hundreds of oxygen concentrators, and deployed thousands of medical workers to affected regions.
Singapore and Malaysia have also reported unhealthy air quality due to transboundary haze. Japan has dispatched three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to assist Indonesia's military in conducting water bombing operations in West Kalimantan. Malaysia has offered its aerial firefighting support, and Indonesia is coordinating with relevant agencies to discuss the offer.
From January to July, fires consumed 202,000 hectares of land, with an additional 600,000 hectares damaged in August, according to government data.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
