There have been increases in the number of hospital emergency cases for asthma and breathing problems in areas worst affected by the NSW bushfires, prompting a renewed call for people to take precautions when there is smoke in the air.
Preliminary analysis of emergency department data shows that hospitals in the Mid-North Coast, where fires were at their worst, have had 68 presentations to emergency departments for asthma or breathing problems over the last week, almost double the usual number.
NSW Health Director of Environmental Health, Dr Richard Broome, said there were also signs that ED presentations for asthma and breathing problems were high in the Hunter and Central Coast Local Health Districts.
\u201cSmoke from the bushfires that have ravaged so much of NSW have led to a rise in people seeking help at public hospitals,\u201d Dr Broome said.
\u201cAir quality has been very poor, so this increase isn\u2019t unexpected. The good news is while the ED presentations have increased, the number of people requiring admission to hospital has remained about the same.
\u201cThe increase in presentations is across all ages and it serves to reinforce the message that people with asthma and other respiratory problems should take care on smoky days. It shows that smoke from active and smoldering fires can have a real impact on people\u2019s health.
Dr Broome said the smoke might cause no more that eye or throat irritation for most people, but those with known respiratory conditions, like asthma, need to be cautious when smoke is about.
\u201cPeople with breathing conditions should avoid outdoor physical activity when there\u2019s smoke around and people with asthma should also follow their Asthma Action Plan and carry their relieving medication with,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve been prescribed a puffer, it\u2019s important to be using it.\u201d
\u201cThe best way to reduce exposure to smoke is to stay indoors with the doors and windows shut. Air conditioning can also help to filter particles from indoor air,\u201d Dr Broome said.
\u201cThese bushfires have been devastating, but they will not be the last fires in NSW over the coming months. Staying cautions in smoky conditions will continue to be the best way to stay safe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There have been increases in the number of hospital emergency cases for asthma and breathing problems in areas worst affected by the NSW bushfires, prompting a renewed call for people to take precautions when there is smoke in the air. Preliminary analysis of emergency department data shows that hospitals in the Mid-North Coast, where fires […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6136"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6136"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6136\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6137,"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6136\/revisions\/6137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.philippinesentinel.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}