Environmental health analyst Dr Akingbehin Akinbodunwa has called for the establishment of an Environmental Health Development Agency to strengthen disease prevention and improve sanitation in Nigeria.
Akinbodunwa, National President of the Environmental Health and Public Health Practitioners Association of Nigeria (EPHPAN), made the call in an interview with reporters in Lagos on Friday.
He said Nigeria needed a well-coordinated environmental health system to address environmental challenges and prevent emerging and re-emerging diseases.
According to him, more than 90 per cent of human diseases are preventable through improved environmental conditions and stronger preventive healthcare.
“More than 90 per cent of human diseases are preventable when people live in a healthy environment. It is when we neglect preventive medicine that disease outbreaks occur,” he said.
He noted that the proposed agency would coordinate environmental health management, sanitation and other public health activities nationwide.
Akinbodunwa said it would also strengthen cooperation among federal, state and local governments in tackling environmental health challenges.
He added that the agency would ensure the provision of utility vehicles, equipment and machinery to improve the delivery of environmental health services.
“There is a need for greater commitment to environmental and public health through the establishment of an Environmental Health Development Agency.
“This will help achieve ‘One Health’ for the nation, with robust governance in public environmental health management,” he said.
The EPHPAN president said the agency would also strengthen preventive medicine and improve the country’s capacity to tackle emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases.
On seasonal health risks, he identified dry-season heatwaves as a major concern, particularly in communities within Nigeria’s meningitis belt.
He said prevailing weather conditions could increase the risk of cerebrospinal meningitis.
Akinbodunwa advised state governments to strengthen disease surveillance, improve diagnosis and intensify vaccination efforts to prevent outbreaks.
