Indonesian wildfires cause respiratory infections to double in a week, health ministry says

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Respiratory infections caused by hazardous wildfire pollution in Indonesia have ​more than doubled in just over a week, data from the country’s Health Ministry showed on Thursday. Fires have been blazing across vast stretches of forest and peatland throughout the Indonesian archipelago, causing hazardous emissions to ⁠surge, particularly in the hardest-hit provinces on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. This year’s wildfire season is the most intense in 11 years as “super-El Niño” weather conditions drive up temperatures and cause punishing droughts. Fire emissions from the country now account for a third ⁠of the global total. The number of ​people ⁠suffering from wildfire-related respiratory illnesses rose to 113,336 as of Wednesday, up from 50,891 on Sept. 1, according to figures Health Ministry spokesperson Widyawati presented at a news conference.