Dr. Harry Nespolon, the incumbent RACGP President advised people to consult their GP regarding problems from the smoke.
The 2019-20 bushfires in the country have caused negative effects on air quality that is experienced by many Australian communities. Among the affected places were Sydney, Melbourne and even New Zealand, which has left its glaciers brown.
Canberra just recorded the worst air quality in the world earlier this week. The index reading fluctuated to a record of 2843 as compared to a hazardous level of 200 due to smoke caused by bushfire coming from both sides of the territory.
Before such reading, an old woman died due to respiratory distress after disembarking from a plane in the territory’s capital.
Howard Maclean, a Canberra resident shared his experience on Facebook regarding the city’s condition with bad air quality. He even expressed his concern over the lack of adaptability of Canberra’s architecture. The lack of filtering capacity of the city buildings, as well as the indoor pollutant levels, were the main concern of Maclean.
Victoria is the other territory affected by the worsening air quality. According to a spokeswoman for Ambulance Victoria, there has been a 51% increase in asthma and pollution-related calls to Ambulance services.
But Dr. Harry Nespolon urges people to immediately consult their GP first if experiencing with non-life threatening issues caused by bushfire smoke to hinder any possible problems with emergency services.
Dr. Kerry Hancock, the Chair of the RACGP Respiratory Medicine Specific Interests network supported the urge of Dr. Nespolon by highlighting the position of GPs in identifying patients who are in dire need of medical attention.
According to Dr. Hancock, specific action plans are effective in dealing with such problems during disasters.
It is through such action plans that the progressive response to the problems could be dealt with properly because it could be specified into different levels.
Different measures could also be done to lessen the harmful effects of the smoke. Among which would be the proper taking of medication and avoiding smoke in keeping in and out of their household.
Dr. Hancock admitted that even she is affected by the smoke brought by the bushfire.
Various resources are available for GPs to further assist them regarding the effects of bushfire smoke involving RACGP and NSW Department of Health.
The effects of the bushfire season on the health of the population could not be well grasped since the season itself is not perceived to end anytime soon.
Image: Government of Victoria
