The Federal Government has emphasized the urgent need to tackle the issues of housing, transport, and economic challenges to control the outbreak of Cholera in the country. This crucial statement was made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday.
Prof. Pate stressed the necessity of a multi-sectorial approach to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Cholera, Typhoid Fever, and Tuberculosis. He highlighted that the approach should not be solely biomedical, as many diseases are socially determined. Therefore, appropriate public policies must be implemented to provide social safety nets for vulnerable and poor populations.
“There are many diseases that are socially determined; they are diseases of largely the population that are vulnerable and poor who live in inadequate housing, with low sanitation, who don’t have enough food, who are malnourished or whose occupation exposes them to certain disease conditions,” stated Pate. He further explained that addressing population health involves not only biomedical interventions but also multi-sectorial efforts to understand why these diseases occur and how to respond effectively.
The minister elaborated on the need for economic growth and its translation into household incomes, along with the development of infrastructure to support urbanization. He emphasized that ensuring good housing, proper nutrition, safe spaces, and mental health services, in addition to affordable healthcare, are critical components of a comprehensive health strategy.
Pate stated, “Health is one thing that is not just a biomedical issue; there is health in almost all public policies, whether it is on housing, transportation, agriculture, environment, youths, even the gender dimension of it to ensure the women are not left behind, and there are vulnerabilities that will have to be addressed through social protection mechanism to ensure that there are safety nets for those who are left behind.”
He called for a concerted effort involving the entire government and society to improve the health and well-being of the population. The Federal Government has already mobilized resources to contain the spread of Cholera, activating a technical working group through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to support states in reducing transmission and treating those infected.
Pate revealed that the government had anticipated the seasonal outbreak and secured contingency financing for the NCDC months ago, which has been utilized in addition to technical financing. He emphasized that state governments also have a role in providing funding.
“31 states are affected, 107 local governments are affected,” Pate reported, noting that approximately 1,500 Cholera cases have been recorded so far in the country. He assured Nigerians that efforts are being made to minimize the spread to more states and local government areas.
The health minister identified open defecation as a critical issue that must be addressed to prevent faeces from contaminating food and water. He described the Cholera outbreak as part of a global phenomenon linked to public health crises involving contaminated food and water, poor sanitation, developmental challenges, and infrastructure deficits. He noted that open defecation, prevalent in many parts of the country, is exacerbating the outbreak.
Pate called for a multi-sectorial approach to prevent infectious diseases in the country. He stressed that all stakeholders, including citizens and federal, state, and local government administrations, have preventive roles in ensuring waste management and hygiene sanitation to reduce the incidence of such diseases in the future.
“It is not only Cholera by the way, there are other infectious diseases like Typhoid Fever, Tuberculosis, and others. So as we improve the physical infrastructure, the urbanization, and the utilities that are backing that up, we should begin to see a healthier population,” he concluded.
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