Jakarta, Aug. 23 -- Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that around 3 million people have been exposed to smoke from forest and land fires, urging residents to wear masks and regularly monitor air quality to reduce health risks.

Speaking in Jakarta on Sunday, Sadikin said exposure to fine PM2.5 particles in wildfire smoke could enter the respiratory system and increase the risk of acute respiratory infections, particularly among vulnerable groups including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with asthma or other lung conditions.

According to Health Ministry data as of Friday (Aug. 21), forest and land fires had spread across 87 districts and municipalities in seven provinces: Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimanta...