Children's Health at Risk Due to Haze

Because of the Haze in Indonesia, more nearby countries in South-East Asia have been affected and our country is one of them, the Philippines. This is alarming because it's putting not just the children's health at risk but all of the people who will be exposed to the haze. Most of the ones who are suffering are the children and babies whose immune systems are still immature.

I've been seeing news about children who had been really affected by the haze, most especially the babies who had been exposed to this hazardous smoke. Some had lived while the others had suffered and died.

What causes the haze in Indonesia?

The haze is caused by farmers clearing land for plantations for the palm oil, pulp and paper industries, primarily in the Indonesian province of Kalimantan on Borneo and the island of Sumatra. [Source]

There are lots of flights that have been canceled too due to this haze, not just here in Southern Mindanao but also in countries like Singapore and Malaysia. There are also a lot of people in Indonesia who had suffered and died of acute respiratory tract infections. [Information on this website]

Now the haze already reached Davao City, our hometown. I've seen one post on Facebook by a Mom whose kids had been sick then after that, a lot of moms have commented and shared that their toddlers and kids were sick too (cough, colds, allergies, asthma, etc.), I guess it's all because of this haze from Indonesia.

Because of this we have limited our outdoor activities and refrain from going outside especially for our daughter, Miel. My daughter currently has coughs and colds too and she had allergies since she was a baby. I am worried that this haze could worsen her condition, so as much as possible we limit ourselves from going out and if we do, we let her wear a mask. We had to stick to our usual routine, home-day care-home and if possible just stay at home if there's no need to go outside. So for those parents who had kids who have a history of asthma and other types of allergies, let your kids wear masks for their own safety. Here's the Department of Health (DOH) Health Advisory during Haze: