ARTICLE BY ANDREW MIDUKU AND MSHELIA BIRMA FOR HEALTH AND SDG DEPARTMENTS OF HOPE INTERACTIVE.
Climate change causes alterations in the environment that result in shifts from normal rainfall and temperature patterns to lower values of rain and also higher temperatures. The climate change, not on its own accord, but as a result of certain parameters which predominantly are man-made. Even though some have called it a hoax, the evidence of the negative impact of man’s activities is glaring on how it degrades nature and is currently making life uncomfortable for us. These changes can result in environments that are more likely to spread infectious diseases. “Warmer temperatures and more rainfall can produce larger areas where the mosquitoes that carry diseases like malaria and dengue fever can survive,” Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria. Nearly 97 percent of the country are at risk. Malaria still remains one of the major problems that our children, pregnant women continue to face today. A number of areas that were previously too cool for the mosquitoes to survive are now at increased risk, because of higher temperatures. Not only could malaria spread across more regions, but it also did infect more people within them too.
Flooding as another climate change-related issue which increases the transmission of infectious diseases among people in Nigeria. Changing weather patterns, such as heavy rains that lead to floods, create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease vectors. Floodwaters frequently contaminate drinking water supplies, causing spikes of outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and other gut infections. Many Nigerian communities have suffered devastating floods with several public health crises in recent years. Take for example, the case in 2018 when floods that cut across many local governments in Yobe state and states in Nigeria brought with it a wave of cholera outbreaks which affected thousands and pushed an already stressed healthcare system to its limit. Man made activities like lack of drainages; conversion of drainages into incinerators which gets completely blocked; lack of networking of drainages; construction along water ways and diversion of water path have also aggravated the flooding. The economic condition of community members has made the impact of flooding too much to bear. For instance, for economic reasons people build substandard houses, which collapses as soon as the flood comes. Before the floods are heavy sand storms (especially in the north east of Nigeria) that devastate substandard buildings killing people and destroying structures. After every major flood, pile of sand settle to the extent that farmers are unable to use their farms the following year.
The situation is especially severe in north-eastern Nigeria because of the combined consequences of continuous violence and climate change. Erosion has also been a major consequence of such devastation, which has impacted roads, farm lands and grazing paths. Flooding has been a recurring issue in the area due to increased rainfall variability and extreme weather occurrences. 2024 has proved to be one of the hottest years in the history of the northeast and has greatly impacted even xeromorphic plants (drought resistant plants), lead to death of animals and human beings. In addition to uprooting communities, these floods have made perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which has accelerated the development of malaria and other diseases carried by vectors. In addition, a large number of people have been displaced due to the fighting and are now living in overcrowded host communities. The risk of waterborne illnesses like cholera is increased in these camps because they frequently lack proper sanitation and clean water. For example, a serious cholera outbreak in north-eastern Nigeria’s Borno State in 2021 brought attention to how susceptible these people are to deadly diseases, with nearly 4,000 deaths. This crisis underscores the urgent need for integrated climate and health interventions to mitigate the impacts of both climate change and conflict on public health in this region. (Ihua et al., 2024)
Intense heat waves and droughts, which are occurring more frequently as a result of climate change, might have an adverse effect on human health. When locals are unable to farm due to flooding or drought, it results into food scarcity, while food scarcity results into hunger and hunger ultimately leads to malnutrition and lowered immunity; lowered immunity leads to susceptibility to diseases (infectious). Water scarcity brought on by droughts can also lower hygiene and raise the possibility of diseases spreading through improper sanitation. Long-lasting dry spells in Nigeria have been connected to a rise in illnesses like meningitis, which is a disease that prefers hot, dry weather. These meteorological conditions were partially responsible for the meningitis outbreak that occurred in northern Nigeria in 2017, which claimed many lives.
Apart from these direct consequences, food security and human migration are two further ways that climate change indirectly affects infectious diseases. Furthermore, living in cramped conditions in urban slums or refugee camps due to climate change can make it easier for diseases to spread. For instance in Yobe state, water scarcity has led to the exploration of WASH boreholes, which are just a few meters away from soak away and pit toilets, where there could be percolation of water from both sides. This has led to increase rates of gut infection in the state.
The nexus between infectious diseases and climate change in Nigeria is a pressing concern. The changing climate creates environments that favor the proliferation of disease vectors, contaminates water sources, and exacerbates conditions that lead to the spread of infections. Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive strategies that include improving healthcare infrastructure, enhancing disease surveillance, and implementing robust climate adaptation measures.
ARTICLE BY ANDREW MIDUKU AND MSHELIA BIRMA FOR HEALTH AND SDG DEPARTMENTS OF HOPE INTERACTIVE.
Climate change causes alterations in the environment that result in shifts from normal rainfall and temperature patterns to lower values of rain and also higher temperatures. The climate change, not on its own accord, but as a result of certain parameters which predominantly are man-made. Even though some have called it a hoax, the evidence of the negative impact of man’s activities is glaring on how it degrades nature and is currently making life uncomfortable for us. These changes can result in environments that are more likely to spread infectious diseases. “Warmer temperatures and more rainfall can produce larger areas where the mosquitoes that carry diseases like malaria and dengue fever can survive,” Malaria is a leading cause of illness and death in Nigeria. Nearly 97 percent of the country are at risk. Malaria still remains one of the major problems that our children, pregnant women continue to face today. A number of areas that were previously too cool for the mosquitoes to survive are now at increased risk, because of higher temperatures. Not only could malaria spread across more regions, but it also did infect more people within them too.
Flooding as another climate change-related issue which increases the transmission of infectious diseases among people in Nigeria. Changing weather patterns, such as heavy rains that lead to floods, create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease vectors. Floodwaters frequently contaminate drinking water supplies, causing spikes of outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and other gut infections. Many Nigerian communities have suffered devastating floods with several public health crises in recent years. Take for example, the case in 2018 when floods that cut across many local governments in Yobe state and states in Nigeria brought with it a wave of cholera outbreaks which affected thousands and pushed an already stressed healthcare system to its limit. Man made activities like lack of drainages; conversion of drainages into incinerators which gets completely blocked; lack of networking of drainages; construction along water ways and diversion of water path have also aggravated the flooding. The economic condition of community members has made the impact of flooding too much to bear. For instance, for economic reasons people build substandard houses, which collapses as soon as the flood comes. Before the floods are heavy sand storms (especially in the north east of Nigeria) that devastate substandard buildings killing people and destroying structures. After every major flood, pile of sand settle to the extent that farmers are unable to use their farms the following year.
The situation is especially severe in north-eastern Nigeria because of the combined consequences of continuous violence and climate change. Erosion has also been a major consequence of such devastation, which has impacted roads, farm lands and grazing paths. Flooding has been a recurring issue in the area due to increased rainfall variability and extreme weather occurrences. 2024 has proved to be one of the hottest years in the history of the northeast and has greatly impacted even xeromorphic plants (drought resistant plants), lead to death of animals and human beings. In addition to uprooting communities, these floods have made perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which has accelerated the development of malaria and other diseases carried by vectors. In addition, a large number of people have been displaced due to the fighting and are now living in overcrowded host communities. The risk of waterborne illnesses like cholera is increased in these camps because they frequently lack proper sanitation and clean water. For example, a serious cholera outbreak in north-eastern Nigeria’s Borno State in 2021 brought attention to how susceptible these people are to deadly diseases, with nearly 4,000 deaths. This crisis underscores the urgent need for integrated climate and health interventions to mitigate the impacts of both climate change and conflict on public health in this region. (Ihua et al., 2024)
Intense heat waves and droughts, which are occurring more frequently as a result of climate change, might have an adverse effect on human health. When locals are unable to farm due to flooding or drought, it results into food scarcity, while food scarcity results into hunger and hunger ultimately leads to malnutrition and lowered immunity; lowered immunity leads to susceptibility to diseases (infectious). Water scarcity brought on by droughts can also lower hygiene and raise the possibility of diseases spreading through improper sanitation. Long-lasting dry spells in Nigeria have been connected to a rise in illnesses like meningitis, which is a disease that prefers hot, dry weather. These meteorological conditions were partially responsible for the meningitis outbreak that occurred in northern Nigeria in 2017, which claimed many lives.
The nexus between infectious diseases and climate change in Nigeria is a pressing concern. The changing climate creates environments that favor the proliferation of disease vectors, contaminates water sources, and exacerbates conditions that lead to the spread of infections. Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive strategies that include improving healthcare infrastructure, enhancing disease surveillance, and implementing robust climate adaptation measures.