Via The Lancet: Bushfires expose weaknesses in Australia's health system. Excerpt:
Australia is in the grip of unprecedented bushfires that have affected every state across the country. The threat to lives, homes, and wildlife has already resulted in more than 20 deaths and 2000 homes lost, millions of acres burned, and up to 1 billion animals dead.
While Australia has one of the world's most robust health-care systems, the crisis has not only left doctors unprepared to deal with the health impacts of climate change, but it has also revealed that the health system was not fully equipped to handle the massive humanitarian impact such a crisis would have on communities.
At the time of writing, dozens of fires continued to burn out of control across large swaths of the country, exposing people to toxic smoke and putting firefighters and rescue workers in grave danger of serious injury and death. For weeks on end, smoke haze has blanketed parts of the country, including Sydney and Canberra, where millions of people live. Air quality in Canberra—which made headlines around the world—reached more than 22 times the hazardous level set by WHO. In Sydney, some suburbs have experienced air quality more than ten times the hazardous limit.
Arnagretta Hunter, a cardiologist in Canberra, told The Lancet she had seen an increase in patients, particularly those with respiratory problems and people with underlying lung and heart problems. She said there had also been an increase in infections including urinary tract infections and skin infections, likely to be attributed to fine particulate matter exposure.
Hunter said she had been giving advice such as to stay inside and avoid physical activity, but that “I don't think we have any real idea” of the health impacts of such exposure.
“In Australia, we are used to having clean air; air pollution is not an issue. Our health brains do not work like this”, she said. “We have a robust health system and we are good at providing high-level health to our population [but] the planning for the health impacts of climate change has been almost non-existent. Our system was not prepared for this. Hospitals are working in disaster mode. I think we will be able to measure the impact of this crisis in life expectancy in the next 12 months.”
Her concern follows the Australian Medical Association (AMA) warning that prolonged exposure to toxic smoke could affect the health of many Australians. “The length and density of smoke exposure is a new and possibly fatal health risk”, AMA President Tony Bartone said in a statement. “With denser smoke haze and longer periods that people endure smoke inhalation, there is a much higher risk that previously healthy people will face developing serious illness.”
Meanwhile, Ewen McPhee, immediate past president of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and a general practitioner (GP) based in central Queensland, said a lack of preparation for the health impact of the bushfires was leaving rural communities vulnerable. “There was no preparation for impaired air quality, with the federal government only now releasing funds to source P2 masks in the millions for rural people”, he said.
