
The College of Dentistry at the University of Basra held a symposium entitled The Impact of Climate Change on the Respiratory System, as climate elements affect human health in general and the respiratory system in particular. Half of the annual number of disease cases in the world are respiratory diseases that coincide with climate changes, and it also affects Climate affects a person's ability to resist respiratory diseases.
The lecturer at this symposium pointed out that over the past fifty years, the rate of global warming has accelerated, and the years 2014 and 2015 were the hottest years on Earth ever.
Lecturer Dr. Shatha Qasim Kazim stated that rising ambient temperatures change rainfall patterns and cause severe weather conditions, which have profound effects not only on the environment, but also on human health directly and indirectly, and climate change is considered the greatest threat to global health in the twenty-first century. .
The lecturer added that many studies have shown an increase in cases of pneumonia during the winter and spring seasons, which can be attributed to close contact and increased transmission of the virus. In the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa, the prevalence of pneumonia and deaths resulting from it are higher during the rainy season, which The association of temperature and precipitation with pneumonia patterns is again shown.
In conclusion, the lecturer touched on patients with the respiratory system. Climate change affects the health of everyone, but patients with the respiratory system are among the most affected groups, as the disease symptoms they suffer from worsen, and may become fatal for some of them. Respiratory diseases increase among children during heat waves, as Extreme heat and high humidity lead to the appearance of asthma symptoms.