Infectious diseases fast ravaging communities in Nigeria – Don laments

A university Don, Prof Kolawole Olatunji Matthew on Friday expressed concerns over the ravaging effects of communicable diseases in the country saying that Government must make investment in health security.

Kolawole spoke during the Igbinedion University Okada (IUO) College of Natural and Applied Science Public Lecture with topic, “Combating Communicable Diseases: The Nigerian Experience.”

He said one of the major challenge of the country’s health sector is the shortage of centres providing healthcare services.

The Professor of Medical Microbiology and member Presidential Advisory Committee on the control of Communicable Diseases said the country needs to rejig the health sector to overcome Communicable Diseases outbreak in rural communities across the country particularly malaria and tuberculosis.
“Communicable diseases are the major cause of death in Nigeria and accounts for 76 percent of child mortality.Tuberculosis and Malaria accounts for the highest cause of death by infectious disease in Nigeria.

“The disease experience in Nigeria has been that of emerging and re-emerging outbreaks. Nigeria has the highest burden of infectious diseases in Sub-saharan Africa and has seen recurrent outbreaks of diseases such as Cholera, Lassa fever, Yellow Fever, Meningitis, Poliomyelitis etc in the last decade.” he said.

On his part, Vice Chancellor, Igbinedion University Okada (IUO), Prof Lawrence Ezemonye described the topic as apt and germane to address the country’s overall health and wellbeing.

“It is an indisputable fact that communicable diseases form part of our daily living reality. They are diseases that can pass from person to person. The topic is therefore not only apt but contemporaneous especially considering the harrowing experience wrought on nations of world by the deadly Corona virus in the recent past,” Ezemonye said.