Brush fires in South Florida could cause breathing problems

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – There is a health concern as the winds shift this weekend in Southeast Florida. Some smoke from the brush fires in West Dade and Broward County could spread into metro areas which could pose health risks to those with underlying conditions.

“When we’re dealing with fires the primary risk for people that are far away is very small particles that are caused by organic matter burning, those particles can basically be inhaled and irritate the lungs,” said Dr. Aharon Sareli, a pulmonologist with Memorial Healthcare.

Sareli said people with conditions such as C.O.P.D, underlying cardiovascular diseases, pregnant women and children with underdeveloped lungs should limit outdoor exposure until the fires have died out.

In other health news, a recent study found that gum disease may increase the risk of sporadic colorectal cancer.

“What the researchers found was that the rate of new sporadic colorectal cancer diagnosis was nearly 50 percent higher in patients with a history of gum disease versus patients that did not have gum disease,” said Fort Lauderdale periodontist Dr. Diego Camacho.

Ad

Camacho said gum disease has also been linked to gastrointestinal cancers and other system diseases.

And the National Institutes of Health is enrolling adults in the U.S. for a phase two clinical trial into a second COVID-19 booster shot.

Researchers are trying to learn if different vaccine regimens, alone or in combination, can broaden the immune response in adults who’ve already received a primary vaccination series and one booster shot.

Results will help determine the best strategy to protect against future variants of COVID-19.