Wildfire and smoke association with COVID-19 cases in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil

C Lorenz; R Libonati; L B C Belém; A Oliveira; R M Chiaravalloti; A V Nunes; E K L Batista; G W Fernandes; F Chiaravalloti-Neto; G A Damasceno-Junior; C N Berlinck; F O Roque

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.032

Wildfire and smoke association with COVID-19 cases in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil

Public Health. 2023 Dec:225:311-319. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.032. Epub 2023 Nov 14.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Universidade de São Paulo, R. do Anfiteatro, 513 - Butantã, São Paulo/SP, 05508-060, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: camilalorenz@usp.br.
² Departamento de Meteorologia, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Av. Athos da Silveira Ramos, 274, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-916, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
³ University College London, Anthropology Department, 14 Taviton Street, WC1H 0BW, London, United Kingdom.
⁴ Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária, Av. Costa e Silva - Pioneiros, MS, 79070-900, Campo Grande, Brazil.
⁵ National Research Center for Carnivores Conservation, Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Estrada Municipal Hisaichi Takebayashi 8600, Atibaia, 12952-011, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁶ Evolutionary Ecology & Biodiversity (DGEE ICB) Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Pres. Antônio Carlos, 6627 - Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
⁷ Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saúde Pública da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Dr. Arnaldo 715, 01246-904, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
⁸ Laboratório de Botânica/Laboratório de Ecologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária, Av. Costa e Silva - Pioneiros, MS, 79070-900, Campo Grande, Brazil.
⁹ Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária, Av. Costa e Silva - Pioneiros, MS, 79070-900, Campo Grande, Brazil; Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, 1 James Cook Dr, Douglas, Cairns, 4811, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 37972494
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.032

Abstract

Objectives: In 2020, Brazil experienced two concurrent public health challenges related to respiratory disease: wildfires and increased mortality due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Smoke from these wildfires contributed to a variety of air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM_2.5). The present study aims to investigate the effects of environmental and socio-economic factors on COVID-19 hospitalisation in the Pantanal.

Study design: Ecological retrospective study.

Methods: We applied a multilevel negative binomial model to relate monthly hospitalisation data with environmental variables.

Results: We showed that monthly PM_2.5 concentration levels had the greatest influence on the increase in hospitalisations by COVID-19 in the elderly (23 % increase). The Gini index, a coefficient that reflects income inequalities, also had a positive association with COVID-19 hospitalisations (18 % increase). Higher temperatures and humidity were protective factors, showing a 15 % and 14 % decrease in hospitalisations, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that high PM_2.5 exposure contributed to the increase in COVID-19 hospitalisations, as did the social inequalities of each municipality.

Conclusions: The present study highlights the importance of gathering evidence supported by multiple information sources to guide decision-making and identify populations needing better public health systems.

Keywords: Humidity; PM(2.5); Respiratory diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Socio-ecological; Temperature.

MeSH terms

Aged
Brazil / epidemiology
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Particulate Matter / analysis
Retrospective Studies
Smoke / adverse effects
Wetlands
Wildfires*

Substances

Smoke
Particulate Matter