Respiratory problems climb past 170,000 cases in haze-hit Indonesia

Over 170,000 respiratory cases have been reported in Indonesian regions impacted by haze, according to a health ministry official. The country has been struggling to control fires that have produced toxic smog, spreading across Borneo, Sumatra, Papua, as well as neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. Health ministry official Then Suyanti reported that there were 174,694 cases of acute respiratory infections between August and September 21 in the affected areas.

Over 40,000 of these cases were recorded in toddlers. The air quality plummeted due to pollutants like PM 2.5, which can lead to serious health risks such as respiratory infections. The overall figure has risen from over 113,000 cases reported as of September 9. The health ministry has provided aid including oxygen concentrators, face masks, and oxygen canisters to the affected regions.

The ministry advises the public to reduce outdoor activities, use masks, and stay hydrated when air quality worsens. Indonesia typically battles wildfires during the dry season, which usually runs from July to October. However, the fires this year are more intense, coinciding with the expected strongest El Nino climate phenomenon in four decades.

Experts attribute the severity of the fires to climate change, decades of forest degradation, and slash-and-burn land-clearing practices that have altered the naturally fire-resistant landscape.