As wildfires continue to rage across Australia, doctors are delivering babies in smoky hospitals with deteriorating air quality.
Australian officials have declared a state of emergency asthe death tollhas climbed to 25 — including two firefighters,Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer. Many others remain unaccounted for amid the blazes, which have forced hundreds from their homes and left thousands stranded.
As thick clouds of smoke surrounded his hospital on Friday morning, Robson performed a Caesarean on an anxious mother-to-be.
“The mum could smell the smoke,” he told the outlet. “She said, ‘I don’t feel so good about all of this,’ and I said, ‘To be honest I don’t feel that good either.'”
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Studies show that air pollution is linked to premature births, lower birth weights, asthma, heart disease and several other diseases, according to theNational Institutes of Health. Given the alarm and potential side effects, Robson said his antenatal appointments with expecting parents have been tense.
“Particularly this morning [Thursday, Jan. 2], after these unbelievable images with kids in gas masks in boats escaping this apocalyptic wall of fire,” he told BuzzFeed.
“Every single mother-to-be and every single dad-to-be I’ve seen today has expressed to me anxiety about what the future holds for the child they’re carrying,” he said.
Responding to the nightmare viaTwitteron Thursday, Robson wrote in part, “The dawn of a new decade. Normally a time for optimism and hope. Today, every single parent-to-be tells me they are fearful for their child’s climate future.”
source: people.com
