Wellington, Jan 10 (IANS) Higher population density is associated with worse air quality and related health outcomes in New Zealand’s largest city Auckland, according to a study published on Friday.
Housing intensification in Auckland will likely increase ill health from air pollution unless steps are taken to reduce exposure to emissions from motor vehicles, according to a study by the University of Auckland.
Respiratory hospitalizations and asthma in children were higher for more densely populated areas, and air pollution, especially nitrogen dioxide (NO2), was linked with population density, the study showed based on data from 2015-2017.
Among pollution sources such as traffic, domestic fires and industry, motor vehicle traffic is the most important source and is the highest in the most densely populated parts of the city, the study said, adding transport reforms to reduce such traffic should be considered when planning for denser cities.
Published at the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the research explored associations between population density, air pollution concentrations, and related health outcomes in New Zealand’s Auckland, Xinhua news agency reported.
Higher population density was associated with higher concentrations of NO2 and PM2.5. Adverse health outcomes related to NO2 and respiratory hospitalizations attributed to PM2.5 exposure increased incrementally with the density of urban areas, the research article said.
Last November, the country’s health ministry had initiated a nationally coordinated response after declaring early stages of a highly contagious whooping cough epidemic.
Cases had consistently increased for several weeks across New Zealand, meeting the threshold for a national epidemic to be declared, a Ministry of Health statement said, citing the country’s last major outbreak of pertussis in 2017, which lasted for months and potentially for a year or more.
Whooping cough cases have been steadily increasing following spikes in May, June and July, according to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.
The ministry warned that New Zealand should also be ready to see similarly high levels of cases over the next 12 months or more, as a number of countries are experiencing record levels of pertussis, possibly due to lower infection rates during the Covid-19 pandemic, said Nicholas Jones, Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health.
Jones warned of the risk of severe illness among babies either too young to be immunised or whose immunisations are delayed, as well as Maori and Pacific people living in New Zealand who will be most affected.
“Even in countries with very high levels of immunisation, epidemics still occur every few years, but the number of babies who get very sick is much lower when mothers have been vaccinated during pregnancy, and when people are vaccinated on time,” she said.
–IANS
int/as
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
