World Health Organization issues global alert on forest‑fire smoke health risks

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global alert warning that smoke from large forest fires is degrading air quality far beyond the immediate fire zones, posing serious health threats. The agency highlights that the smoke can travel across regions, countries and continents, aggravating respiratory, cardiac and chronic conditions, especially among vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, the elderly and frontline workers. WHO urges continuous air‑quality monitoring, preparedness in hospitals and health centres, and coordinated response efforts in affected areas, citing Portugal as a current hotspot.

In Brazil, the municipality of Socorro held a public lecture titled “Invisible Smoke, Real Damage” to raise awareness of the health and environmental impacts of local burning. Officials stressed the link between uncontrolled fires, air‑pollution‑related illnesses and climate change, and called on residents to adopt preventive practices such as proper waste disposal and reporting fire incidents. The event aims to protect public health and promote sustainable, climate‑resilient practices in the community.