Indonesia breathing issues spike to over 170,000 cases amid wildfire haze

More than 170,000 respiratory cases were recorded in regions affected by haze in Indonesia, a health ministry official said on Tuesday, as the country continues its battle to control fires that caused the toxic smog.

Blazes in Borneo, Sumatra and Papua have blanketed parts of the vast archipelago of more than 280 million people with haze, as well as neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, sending air quality indices plummeting.

The toxic smog contains pollutants including PM 2.5, a fine particulate matter smaller than a human hair that could carry health risks such as respiratory infections, health ministry official Then Suyanti told a press conference.

“There were 174,694 cases of acute respiratory infections between August and September 21 in areas affected by forest and land fires,” she said.