More than 170,000 respiratory cases recorded in haze-choked Indonesia

Some 175,000 people in Indonesia have suffered from respiratory illness since August, its health ministry said, as it continues to battle wildfires that have raged for weeks.More than 40,000 cases – which range from coughs to bronchitis and more serious conditions like pneumonia – involve toddlers.Forest fires have blanketed parts of the country as well as neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore in toxic smog, pushing air quality indices into "unhealthy" territory.Indonesia has deployed more than 54,000 officials and dozens of jets to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra for water bombing, but the vast territory and challenging peatland conditions make it hard to put out the fires, authorities say."From the air to the ground, all forces continue to move," Indonesia's Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said on Monday. "Everything is being done to extinguish the fires, reduce the impact of the smoke, and, most importantly, protect the public from the threat of forest and land fires."Indonesia regularly battles wildfires during its annual dry season, which usually runs from July through October.This year, however, the fires and haze have been turbocharged by a so-called "Godzilla" El Nino, which has fuelled extremely dry conditions.