Thousands Of Children Suffer Respiratory Infection Due To Haze

Pekanbaru, Riau, July 1 (Antara) - At least 3,160 children under five years old suffered respiratory infection due to haze coming from forest and plantation fires in Riau Province. The number of people suffering respiratory infection has increased to 6,321 since the past ten days," Yohanes, the head of the Riau health service, said here on Monday. "Around 50 percent of the patients are children under five years old," he said. The number of respiratory infection patients increases by 20 to 50 percent a day at the average, as haze has been hitting the province since June 18, 2013. Riau`s children are risky to suffer from lung cancer if the province`s air is continuously polluted, according to him. "A person could suffer from lung cancer if she or he inhales smog for a long period. However, it depends on one`s immunity," he said. Most of the respiratory infection sufferers are found in fire-affected districts such as Rokan Hilir, Bengkalis, Pelalawan and Dumai. The haze has also caused 674 people to suffer from pneumonia, 527 from asthma, 669 from skin irritation, and 369 from eye irritation. The Riau authorities have distributed 120,000 face masks to people living in and around fire-hit areas. During the emergency situation due to the fires, those patients are free to get medical services.