Residents of Kogi State have been battling and coping with the health effects of one of the worst and most devastating flood avalanches in history for several months. Even so, the state government maintains that it has taken all necessary steps to help its residents overcome the difficulties caused by the floods.
The State further refuted any assertion that a disease outbreak that was primarily attributed to climate change occurred in the wake of the flood.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change has become humanity’s single biggest health threat, and health professionals worldwide are already responding to the health harms caused by this unfolding crisis. While no one is safe from this risk, it is safe to say that people who are least likely to protect themselves and their families against it are mostly people from low-income and disadvantaged communities.
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With Kogi State being among the worst-hit states of the 2022 floods in Nigeria, the vulnerable residents are currently battling its devastating impact in a myriad of ways. It is becoming increasingly more challenging if not virtually impossible to access accurate data due to the dearth or lack of it or the unwillingness of the relevant authorities to provide it. Thus it has become difficult to estimate the scale of climate-sensitive health risks accurately.
According to reports, communities in Kogi State have continued to suffer a rise in heat waves, water-related diseases such as (typhoid, cholera, water diarrhea), skin infection, malnutrition due to low food quality, malaria, and psychological issues leading to trauma.
Story adapted from Per Second News
