Wildfires ignite infection risks, by weakening the body’s immune defences and spreading bugs in smoke

By Christine Carson, Senior Research Fellow, School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia
Leda Kobziar, Professor of Wildland Fire Science, University of Idaho

Over the past several days, the world has watched on in shock as wildfires have devastated large parts of Los Angeles.

Beyond the obvious destruction – to landscapes, homes, businesses and more – fires at this scale have far-reaching effects on communities. A number of these concern human health.

We know fire can harm directly, causing injuries and death. Tragically, the death toll in LA is now at…

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