[ANSWER]AHS205 Assessment 3: Wildfires in Australia: Implications for the Healthcare System

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Wildfires in Australia: Smoke from wildfires contains hazardous substances like carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter (Black et al., 2017). These substances can remain in the air for days and travel thousands of kilometres from the disaster scene (WHO, 2020). When inhaled, these substances expose the affected communities to a wide range of respiratory complications, including colds, coughing, asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with children, older adults and individuals with prevailing respiratory complications being the most affected (American Lung Association, 2020).

Studies in the US have shown that children in communities affected by wildfires have a higher prevalence of colds, wheezing, coughing, and bronchitis compared to children in unaffected communities (American Lung Association, 2020). Air pollution as a result of wildfires has also been linked to cardiovascular complications such as heart attacks, albeit evidence in this area remains mixed (Black et al., 2017; Reid et al., 2016).

In Australia, academic studies on the effect of air pollution stemming from the Black Summer on respiratory and cardiovascular health are yet to be conducted, but it is likely that cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disease in the affected regions will be higher in the near future. In a survey conducted by The Australia Institute in January 2020, more than a third (35%) of the participants in New South Wales reported suffering one or more respiratory problems as a result of exposure to wildfire smoke (Green & Smidt, 2020)(Wildfires in Australia). Furthermore, doctors in the country have already intimated that incidences…[Buy Full Answer for Just USD 9: 2490 WORDS]

[Wildfires in Australia: SOLUTION DESCRIPTION]

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