Indonesian Peat Fires Double Respiratory Infections to Over 113,000 as Haze Spreads

Between September 1 and September 9, 2026, the number of acute respiratory infections linked to toxic wildfire haze in Indonesia more than doubled, surging from 50,891 to 113,336 cases.[2][3][4][5]

The Indonesian Health Ministry reports that more than 12.5 million people across seven provinces are currently exposed to the hazardous smoke. Children younger than five account for 26,545 of the recorded cases, representing over 20 percent of the total patient burden.[1][2][5]

The fires are burning across vast tracts of drained peatland and forest, primarily concentrated on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Data compiled by the monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas detected 532,152 hot spots on Friday alone, an increase from 488,170 the previous day.[2][5]

This year's wildfire season is the most intense in 11 years, driven by super-El Niño weather conditions that have elevated temperatures and caused punishing droughts across the archipelago.[1][4][5]

Because peatlands are carbon-rich, their combustion releases significantly more particulate matter than typical forest fires. Fire emissions from Indonesia currently account for a third of the global total.[5]

In response to the mounting health crisis, the Health Ministry has placed 1,691 community health centers and 360 referral hospitals on standby. Nearly a million masks and hundreds of oxygen concentrator units have been distributed to the hardest-hit regions.[2][5]

Health Ministry spokesperson Widyawati confirmed the mobilization of more than 19,000 health workers across the affected provinces. "The process of deploying additional medical personnel and various supplies is ongoing," she stated during a press briefing.[2][5]

The crisis is not contained within Indonesia's borders. The widespread wildfires have triggered transboundary haze that is increasingly affecting neighboring countries. Cities in Sarawak on the Malaysian side of Borneo recorded air pollution readings of 200, placing them in the unhealthy category according to air quality monitors.[2][3]

With the dry season potentially extending past October, regional authorities are bracing for prolonged exposure. The immediate focus remains on aerial firefighting and cloud-seeding operations to suppress the largest blazes before the monsoon arrives.[1][2]