Jakarta, Sept. 22 -- The Ministry of Health recorded 174,694 cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in areas affected by forest and land fires between August 18 and September 21, of which 40,363 cases involved children under five.

The ministry's Director of Environmental Health, Then Suyanti, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the latest data showed 4,533 active ARI cases.

"Today's data is 4,533. So the rest have recovered," she said.

The ministry is monitoring the health impacts of forest and land fires in seven provinces: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.

Suyanti said her office is taking several measures to address the health impacts of forest and la...