Kids worst hit by respiratory illnesses

PEKANBARU: Over 35,000 children, mostly under five years old, suffered from respiratory infections last year, local health office head Saiful Bahri said.

"From the total cases of respiratory illness, only 20 to 30 percent were adults, while 70 to 80 percent were children," Saiful said Monday.

He said the haze that had blanketed the city for more than a year now could have contributed to the infections but the agency had no data supporting this. -- JP