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The Amazon jungle of Brazil caught fire on August 27, 2019. REUTERS / Nacho Doce
GENEVA (Reuters) – Fires in the Amazon rainforest pose a health risk, especially for people with respiratory problems, especially children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday. .
Dr. Maria Nera, director of the Department of Public Health and Social and Environmental Determinants of Health, said the rainforest ecosystem, which is home to about 30 million people, was under threat.
Fires in Brazil have decreased slightly since President Jaire Bolsonaro sent the army Saturday to help fight it.
"We have some accounts of an increase in some respiratory problems in children," Nira told Reuters.
People living near the fires have been evacuated but no cases of death have been reported, she said during an interview at FAO headquarters.
"It will not be different from other air pollutants that affect our health (especially) cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory problems," said Nera.
She explained that fires are unlikely to cause long-term problems such as cancer "that is caused by prolonged and intense exposure".
Prepared by Moaz Abdul Aziz for the Arab Bulletin – Edited by Suha Gado
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