A smoky haze continues to blanket southwest Florida from the more than dozen wildfires that have broken out in Charlotte, Lee and Hendry Counties since Monday.

Health officials are reminding residents that with this much smoke in the air even people who don’t normally have respiratory issues might have symptoms like sore throats, or itchy eyes. And that you don’t even need to be that close to fires to have symptoms.

Spokeswoman for the Collier County Health Department - Deb Millsap – says people with pre-existing respiratory issues should try and stay inside until smoke diminishes…and use their A/C at home and in car.

“If they do already have things like asthma, or respiratory problems or even chronic heart disease, then monitor their symptoms. If they’re having unusual amounts of wheezing and shortness of breath then they definitely should call their physician if they feel at all uncomfortable.”

Millsap says symptoms might appear as long as 48 hours after smoke exposure – and that smoke can last for days after a fire’s been extinguished.

For more information check out the American Lung Association’s website at LungUsa.Org.