More than 170,000 respiratory cases recorded in haze-choked Indonesia
Indonesia is facing a severe public health crisis as toxic haze from wildfires, exacerbated by an intense El Niño, has caused over 175,000 respiratory cases. Authorities are struggling to contain the fires across vast peatland areas despite deploying significant resources.
Why it matters
The scale of the fires and the resulting health impact underscore the devastating intersection of climate-driven weather events and environmental management challenges.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, More than 40,000 cases – which range from mild coughs to pneumonia – involve toddlers
Some 175,000 people in Indonesia have suffered from respiratory illness since August, its health ministry said, as it continues to battle wildfires that have raged for weeks .
More than 40,000 cases – which range from coughs to bronchitis and more serious conditions like pneumonia – involve toddlers.
Forest fires have blanketed parts of the country as well as neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore in toxic smog, pushing air quality indices into "unhealthy" territory.
Indonesia has deployed more than 54,000 officials and dozens of jets to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra for water bombing, but the vast territory and challenging peatland conditions make it hard to put out the fires, authorities say.
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