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

Jakarta- 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.