Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises
The emergence and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 converged with wildfire seasons of unprecedented extent. These co-occurring crises brought the potential for amplified health impacts. A systematized literature review was conducted to identify the health impacts from co-exposure to wi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/acc680 |
| _version_ | 1797698300251471872 |
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| author | Kathleen A Clark Mary Sheehan |
| author_facet | Kathleen A Clark Mary Sheehan |
| author_sort | Kathleen A Clark |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The emergence and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 converged with wildfire seasons of unprecedented extent. These co-occurring crises brought the potential for amplified health impacts. A systematized literature review was conducted to identify the health impacts from co-exposure to wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. A search of PubMed and Scopus identified 373 distinct references which were screened according to predetermined criteria. A total of 22 peer-reviewed publications were included in the final analysis. Studies were located in Australia and the western United States, with a single study in the Amazonian region of Brazil. The studies identified focused primarily on the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on COVID-19 infection and mortality, and the impact of exposure to both crises on mental health. The collective evidence shows that wildfire exposure within the context of the pandemic exacerbated COVID-19 infection and mortality as well as various adverse mental health effects. Additional research is needed in more diverse contexts and with individual-level data. Findings highlight the need for public health preparedness to anticipate overlapping, related crises and to advance climate change mitigation to protect public health. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:52:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-191b80ca816040d08802425d2f488704 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2752-5309 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:52:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-191b80ca816040d08802425d2f4887042023-09-03T12:15:32ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Health2752-53092023-01-011202200210.1088/2752-5309/acc680Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crisesKathleen A Clark0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5838-8525Mary Sheehan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1430-1221Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States of AmericaJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health , 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States of AmericaThe emergence and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 converged with wildfire seasons of unprecedented extent. These co-occurring crises brought the potential for amplified health impacts. A systematized literature review was conducted to identify the health impacts from co-exposure to wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. A search of PubMed and Scopus identified 373 distinct references which were screened according to predetermined criteria. A total of 22 peer-reviewed publications were included in the final analysis. Studies were located in Australia and the western United States, with a single study in the Amazonian region of Brazil. The studies identified focused primarily on the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on COVID-19 infection and mortality, and the impact of exposure to both crises on mental health. The collective evidence shows that wildfire exposure within the context of the pandemic exacerbated COVID-19 infection and mortality as well as various adverse mental health effects. Additional research is needed in more diverse contexts and with individual-level data. Findings highlight the need for public health preparedness to anticipate overlapping, related crises and to advance climate change mitigation to protect public health.https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/acc680wildfiresCOVID-19pandemicsconverging crisessystematized literature reviewclimate change |
| spellingShingle | Kathleen A Clark Mary Sheehan Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises Environmental Research: Health wildfires COVID-19 pandemics converging crises systematized literature review climate change |
| title | Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises |
| title_full | Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises |
| title_fullStr | Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises |
| title_full_unstemmed | Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises |
| title_short | Wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematized literature review of converging health crises |
| title_sort | wildfires and the covid 19 pandemic a systematized literature review of converging health crises |
| topic | wildfires COVID-19 pandemics converging crises systematized literature review climate change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/acc680 |
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