Smoke from Indonesian fires may add to respiratory illness spike

Smog from forest and peatland fires in Indonesia could complicate the country's efforts to battle the new coronavirus, as the government has no contingency plan for additional respiratory illness amid the ongoing pandemic.Wiendra Waworuntu, director for communicable disease prevention and control at the Ministry of Health, said Friday that the symptoms of acute respiratory infection caused by smoke from the fires are similar to coronavirus symptoms.A simultaneous surge in respiratory illness from the two causes could become a major headache for Indonesian health authorities. Research shows …READ FULL ARTICLE