The recent Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) prediction and warning on possible outbreak of Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis (CSM) and Malaria due to adverse weather conditions from January to May this year should be taken seriously to avoid or reduce cases and fatalities from these two diseases, which are becoming yearly occurrences. Already, the predictions are coming to pass; and the weather remains highly inclement.
Evidence abounds that climate change increases health risk as climate change-related causes such as increases in temperature, rainfall, sea level rise and extreme weather conditions negatively impact health; and the NiMet warning of Meningitis and malaria outbreaks from adverse weather aligns with this view. Its 2024 Seasonal Climate Predictions indicate an increased risk of Meningitis in Northern states like Sokoto, Jigawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Katsina, Zamfara, Gombe, and Borno during the dry season months of January to April.
Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection of the meninges that affects the brain membrane. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50 per cent of cases if untreated. Some of the symptoms are fever, headache, catarrh, stiff neck and in advanced cases, sardonic laughter. Again, it is a known fact that CSM is prevalent in the north due to the scorching heat, which triggers the outbreak of the disease. Also, poor ventilation, desert encroachment leading to dry and dusty wind, climate change, and poor hygiene worsen the situation. Children ages 5-14 years are more susceptible to the disease because their immune systems are not well developed.
Apart from Meningitis, NiMet also raised concerns about looming Malaria outbreaks in Southern states; stating that Lagos, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states are identified as high-risk zones, particularly susceptible to Malaria transmission from January to May. Its forecasts indicate weather conditions conducive to mosquito breeding in these areas, heightening the risk of Malaria transmission.
Malaria, a tropical disease is caused by the presence of plasmodium falciparum in the blood and is usually caused by the bites of an infected female anopheles mosquito. One new case is contacted every 10 seconds and two deaths are recorded per minute. Malaria is responsible for the intolerable cases of morbidity, mortality and impairment of economic development. It is ranked globally as the third leading cause of death; and children under five years and expectant mothers are its major victims.
Malaria is also the most common cause of absenteeism from schools, offices, markets and farms. Economically, it reduces one per cent of the country’s yearly gross domestic product (GDP), while families spend 25 per cent of their incomes on malaria yearly; and the emotional pains caused by the loss of relatives to malaria cannot be underestimated. Also, the money spent on malaria treatment is further impoverishing Nigerians leading to a decline in what families have to spend on other necessities of life especially nutrition, which may lead to poor nutrition and thus low immunity from diseases. Furthermore, Nigeria loses billions of naira each year to the treatment of malaria and the money goes back to foreign countries given the fact that Nigeria is import dependent on pharmaceuticals.
Thus, NiMet’s seasonal climate prediction serves as a timely reminder and highlights the need for heightened vigilance and awareness among residents in these areas to combat these preventable illnesses.
To nip CSM and malaria in the bud, all hands must be on deck and quickly too. Authorities at the three distinct levels of the health care delivery system – Federal, State and Local Government, in collaboration with all the stakeholders in health including the private sector, development partner agencies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), including, Faith Based Organisations (FBOs) and communities should work in collaboration and scale-up preventive and curative interventions to prevent this yearly ritual of various disease outbreaks and avoidable deaths.
Also, sensitisation on disease prevention should be properly timed and coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant MDAs for synergy and also to avoid misinformation. Achieving this requires joint planning by the federal and state governments, and states drawing their strategies and work plans from the federal strategy.
At the community level, the Ward Development Committees (WDCs), Facility Health Committees (FHCs), CBOs, CSOs and other relevant platforms, have a key responsibility of ensuring that appropriate health information reaches the grassroots including holding the government responsible and advocating for universal health coverage across the board; and sensitising citizens on the need to seek prompt professional health care.
To mitigate the risk of meningitis, government at all levels, health-related NGOs, religious and traditional leaders should embark on massive enlightenment programmes to enlighten the citizens on the prevention of CSM through the use of vaccines, and sleeping in cross-ventilated and hygienic rooms. Specifically, religious leaders should sensitise and encourage citizens not to trivialise or resist vaccination against CSM; and states must embark on massive and free immunisation. While corporate bodies should support government efforts and ensure that their workforce is immunised against CSM; and government should allow NGOs to source for CSM vaccines during outbreaks to help make the immunisation pan-Nigeria. Students at various levels of education should be made to undergo health screening and immunised as appropriate. Individuals and parents should also take personal responsibility for their health and those of their children by ensuring that all members of their families are immunised against CSM.
Again, trees should be planted; and tree planting should be seen and taken as primary health care because of their role in preventive health care. In particular, Northern state governments should step up tree planting teams and ensure that monies voted yearly for tree planting are well utilised. Also, citizens should be enlightened on the nature of the disease and symptoms; and the need to quickly visit nearby medical centres for early treatment when they notice the symptoms.
Furthermore, to contain malaria, integrated vector management with the use of long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN), indoor residual spraying, larviciding and environmental management as well as control through intensive media campaigns and community mobilisation are critical. Thus, community members should be mobilised to keep drainages and gutters clean and also fumigate them. Also, it is important to empower individuals and communities and engage them to adopt and deploy simple and cost-effective interventions such as the use of mosquito repellent plants in and around residential areas, which also beautify the environment and freshen the air for malaria control.
Combating these diseases requires all-inclusive multidimensional efforts and realistic solutions. Nigerian duty bearers and citizens must be proactive on health matters and in the handling of human lives; and must avoid the fire brigade approach to managing CSM and malaria. There should be an early release of budgetary allocation for health programmes, and emergency preparedness plans that should be activated routinely to avert disasters.
Preservation of human lives should be a priority at all levels of governance!
