After the bushfires: addressing the health impacts

Bushfires have adverse effects on people’s physical and mental health. Individuals are affected by direct exposure to the flames, exposure to extreme heat, prolonged smoke inhalation, contamination of waterways and food, and through trauma from the fires themselves.

The prolonged and widespread nature of the 2019–20 bushfires resulted in more people being affected by bushfire-related health issues than previous events.

Clearer and more consistent public health advice on how individuals and communities identify, manage and treat health impacts is needed, including targeted information and plans for vulnerable population groups.

This brief has been written jointly with the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Part of a series of briefs synthesising the scientific evidence on the impact of bushfires on soil condition, wildlife recovery, ecosystems and human health.