The thick haze resulting from Indonesia's blazing forest fires have reportedly led to the death of a baby who suffered from acute respiratory infections.
The 28-day-old baby died on Wednesday in Indonesia's Sumatra island, while 19 other babies have fallen seriously ill due to haze-related conditions.
The local health agency said that the haze likely caused a lung infection in the infant, The Jakarta Post reported.
Scores of other babies in Sumatra and the Riau province in Indonesia have been admitted to the intensive care unit due to haze-related acute respiratory infections.
"The hospital is currently treating dozens of children and babies affected by land and forest fires," a health official in Riau was quoted saying.
The forest fires in Indonesia are said to be responsible for 110,000 deaths per year on an average, mainly due to respiratory and cardiac illnesses caused by the haze, as per a study by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information.
The forest fires have also affected Singapore and Malaysia in the neighbourhood, where thousands of people are reportedly seeking treatment for haze-related problems.
Indonesia recently decided to seek international help from Malaysia and Singapore and from Russia and Japan to help control the raging forest fires that are started deliberately by companies producing palm oil and paper to clear forest land.
