70-year-old Canadian woman becomes first patient to be diagnosed with Climate Change

For those who do not believe in global warming, this might change their perspective on the issue as a 70-year-old woman from Canada has been diagnosed to be suffering from 'climate change'. As bizarre as it may sound, but the deadly heatwaves, that swept across Canada earlier this year have been found to be a reason for her breathing problems. Back in June, Canada witnessed the hottest month in its history and nearly 500 people died owing to the heat in British Columbia alone, as per The Hill.

According to a report by Times Colonist, the woman was admitted into the emergency department at Kootenay Lake Hospital in British Columbia's Nelson, along with hundreds of patients who were facing multiple health issues at once.

Detailing about the woman's condition, Dr. Kyle Merritt, head of the hospital's emergency department had said, "She has diabetes. She has some heart failure. … She lives in a trailer, no air conditioning. All of her health problems have all been worsened. And she's really struggling to stay hydrated. We were having to figure out how do we cool someone in the emergency department”. The doctor added, "People are running out to the Dollar Store to buy spray bottles."

Is climate change really affecting human health?

Meritt says that it is the first time, in his 10-year-long career as a physician, that he ever used the words "climate change" while preparing a patient's report. Reportedly, bad air quality has also been highlighted as a reason for worsening health for many as the pollution due to wildfires became 43 times worse in parts of Canada in July and August. In an interview with Glacier Media, Meritt said, "If we're not looking at the underlying cause, and we're just treating the symptoms, we're just gonna keep falling further and further behind". 

He further emphasised that other physicians must also be aware of the links between climate change and their patients' health. According to Meritt, smoke and heat have effects beyond a person's physical health as the doctors have recorded an increment in the number of depressed and anxious people during the wildfire season. 

This comes as the United Nations' COP26 climate summit is being conducted in Glasgow, Scotland. According to The Hill, health experts in Nelson have assembled to form a 40-membered Doctors and Nurses for Planetary Health initiative that will aim to better the health of humans by saving the planet. 

Image: Twitter/@KBDrsNurses4PH