- Title: Amazon fires pose health risks to children - WHO
- Date: 30th August 2019
- Summary: RONDONIA, BRAZIL (AUGUST 27, 2019) (MUTE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SMOKE, FIRE GATHERING STRENGTH IN PART OF AMAZON RONDONIA, BRAZIL (AUGUST 27, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FIRE BURNING THROUGH SHRUBS, TREES MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL (AUGUST 29, 2019) (REUTERS) MEMBERS OF MYKI TRIBE WALKING IN AREA OF AMAZON STILL SMOKING FROM FIRES FIRE BURNING, TRIBE MEMBER PUTTING OUT FLAMES GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (AUGUST 30, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DIRECTOR FOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, DR. MARIA NEIRA, ARRIVING FOR INTERVIEW VARIOUS OF NEIRA TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DIRECTOR FOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, DR. MARIA NEIRA, SAYING: "We have some anecdotal reports of increase of certain respiratory diseases in children but nothing that we can report from a systematic monitoring way." MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL (AUGUST 29, 2019) (REUTERS) FIRE BURNING TRIBE MEMBER WORKING TO PUT OUT FIRES FIRE BURNING / TRIBE MEMBER WORKING TO PUT OUT FIRE GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (AUGUST 30, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DIRECTOR FOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, DR. MARIA NEIRA, SAYING: "Now we need to think as well about the population living in the Amazon, and we understand that it's least 1 million indigenous people living there. Therefore as well we are looking at what could be the short-term effects of this exposure to the smoke generated by the wildfire and it would be more related to respiratory diseases of course. It will be not, different from what other pollutants in the air will be affecting our health - cardiovascular diseases, acute respiratory problems." MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL (AUGUST 29, 2019) (REUTERS) FIRE BURNING IN SHRUBBERY MEMBER OF TRIBE IN FIRE-AFFECTED AREA GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (AUGUST 30, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DIRECTOR FOR DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, DR. MARIA NEIRA, SAYING: "This will require a long-term exposure of the population and will require an intense and long-term exposure. So, we hope that this is not the case because the populations have been evacuated from the area and then, the amount of the population is not… It is more a short-term ad hoc rather than a long-term exposure, so we are not hoping to see this type of long-term consequences." SANTA ROSA DE TUCABACA, BOLIVIA (AUGUST 28, 2019) (REUTERS) FIREFIGHTERS WORKING TO PUT OUT FIRE EMBERS OF FIRE CHARRED TREES
- Embargoed: 13th September 2019 13:54
- Keywords: World Health Organization Brazil WHO forest fires rainforest Amazon forest public health children health risks United Nations respiratory diseases wildfires
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RONDONIA AND MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL / SANTA ROSA DE TUCABACA, BOLIVIA
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RONDONIA AND MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL / SANTA ROSA DE TUCABACA, BOLIVIA
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Wildfires/Forest Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA001AUEU6VB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Fires raging in the Amazon pose a risk to health including from respiratory diseases, especially in children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday (August 30).
The rainforest, home to 30 million people, has a fragile ecosystem providing vital food and water that is threatened, said Dr. Maria Neira, director of WHO's public health, environment and social determinants of health department.
Fires in Brazil's sprawling Amazon rainforest have receded slightly since President Jair Bolsonaro sent in the military to help battle the blazes last Saturday.
Neira was referring to accounts from some local health care facilities.
People living closest to the fires have been evacuated and no deaths have been reported, she said in a interview at WHO headquarters. Those with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, which can be aggravated by air pollution, are at higher risk from the smoke, she said.
Human exposure will vary depending on proximity and intensity, but the pollutant particles will remain "for a long time" in zones that had intense blazes, she said.
She suggested however that the fires were unlikely to cause longer term problems such as higher rates of cancer, which arise from "intense and long term exposure."
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