Wildfire-stricken provinces in Indonesia recorded 333,470 cases of acute respiratory infection from Aug. 18 through Oct. 21, 2026, according to Health Ministry figures reported by Mongabay. Children no older than 5 accounted for more than 75,170 cases. Health specialists warned that the consequences of prolonged smoke exposure could extend beyond the immediate emergency.
How many deaths the haze has contributed to remains uncertain. In its Nov. 2 report, Mongabay said the government had not published haze-related mortality figures. The nonprofit Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimated 3,560 deaths associated with short-term exposure to wildfire pollution in September, up from its August estimate of 1,700. These are calculations using modeled pollution and epidemiological data, rather than a tally of confirmed individual deaths.
One reported death illustrates the uncertainty surrounding individual cases. Nurdin, a volunteer firefighter aged 51, developed breathing trouble and chest pain while fighting a South Kalimantan blaze on Oct. 21 and subsequently died. A doctor at the clinic where he was taken suspected smoke poisoning; the publicly available account did not establish what killed him.
Speaking at an Oct. 27 webinar, Herawati Supolo-Sudoyo, who chairs the medical sciences commission at the Indonesian Academy of Sciences, described associations between prolonged fine-particle exposure and cardiovascular illness, as well as effects on children's development. Pulmonologist Feni Fitriani Taufik said research also links wildfire pollution with reduced lung function over time and increased cancer risk.
The specialists called for health protection to begin before haze arrives and continue after it clears. Marsen Isbayuputra, a University of Indonesia specialist in occupational medicine, urged warnings tied to air-quality measurements, readiness for increased demand for respiratory care and a stronger focus on preventing fires.