By Trimmel Gomes, Florida News Connection
As the warming climate continues to reshape the environment, its impact on people’s health is becoming increasingly evident in Florida. Doctors and other health experts are sounding the alarm, emphasizing the need for action to address the intersection of climate change and public health.
Dr. Farhan Malik, a pediatric intensive-care unit doctor at Florida’s Nemours Children’s Hospital, highlighted the broad and often underestimated health risks tied to climate change, explaining how environmental changes are affecting vulnerable populations, especially children.
“I think everything that you could possibly encounter from a health perspective, we don’t attribute enough to climate,” he said. “From my realm, in the pediatric world, a lot of these kids are affected by infectious diseases, they’ve got weak immune systems, they’ve got immature lungs.”
Malik pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how environmental changes, from deforestation to rising temperatures, force animals into new habitats, increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases and global health crises.
Dr. Cheryl Holder, a primary-care physician who co-founded and heads Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, echoed those concerns, particularly the impact of heat on those at greater risk for heat-related illnesses.
“And especially heat, which is the No. 1 weather-related killer,” she said. “How do we get folks to be prepared and protected for the heat? Central Florida has a large amount of areas that we call ‘heat islands’ because they don’t have as much shade, a lot of concrete — and lower-wealth communities, they can be 10 degrees higher.”
She said many people don’t realize how severe heat stroke can be, stressing that calling 911 should be the first step before attempting to cool the body down.
The need for greater public awareness and action was among the topics at last week’s Climate Correction Conference in Orlando.
Florida News Connection is a bureau of the Public News Service. Volo Foundation contributes to its fund for reporting on climate change/air quality, environment and environmental justice, and is a financial supporter of The Invading Sea. Banner photo: An emergency room at a children’s hospital (iStock image).
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