The worsening haze has led to respiratory-related ailments for business undergraduate Wendi Lai and her family, who complained of breathing difficulties and tightness in the chest.
It has been particularly troubling for Ms Lai, as she also has the flu and believes the haze worsened her sore throat, which had been improving.
"I had to see a doctor on Sunday, and he told me I had lung irritation (due to the haze)," the 19-year-old said.
Doctors told My Paper that the worsening haze could pose health problems for certain groups of people.
Dr Pek Wee Yang, head of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's department of general medicine, said "asthma attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation are more frequent" at unhealthy Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) levels.
Associate Professor John Abisheganaden, a senior consultant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's department of respiratory and critical care medicine, said that in severe cases, the haze can cause breathing difficulties, especially in patients with chronic heart or lung conditions. Said Dr Pek, who specialises in respiratory medicine: "Even healthy people may have some irritation in the eyes and throat."
Dr Steve Yang, a respiratory-medicine specialist and consultant at Raffles Internal Medicine Centre, said yesterday that more patients - mainly middle-aged adults and seniors - have been seen at clinics due to asthma and breathing-related disorders.
The haze, he said, was a "significant contributing factor" to this increase.