Friday, December 6, 2024

NiMet partners with NCDC to improve disease preparedness and response

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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has partnered with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to improve disease preparedness and response, particularly for climate-sensitive diseases such as cholera and malaria.

This was revealed by NiMet in a post on its X handle on Tuesday night.

The agency stated that this collaboration aims to create a structured framework for the exchange of data and information, supporting greater situational awareness.

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The agency believes the partnership will enable the correlation of weather patterns with disease outbreaks, leading to better predictive models and risk assessments.

NiMet Director General Charles Anosike stressed that climate change poses significant health threats.

He said: “Climate change is the most impactful threat to our health. This partnership with NCDC will ensure that we improve our systems to go beyond what we are currently doing.

“It's a really important partnership for us to improve preparedness and response to climate disasters. These are critical components of the early warning system, which is a United Nations initiative. “It is important that we all make that investment so that we can protect all of our citizens from climate disaster.”

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NCDC Director General Jide Idris also emphasized the importance of its collaboration with NiMet, stating that it marks the beginning of a powerful partnership that will facilitate the sharing of crucial data, expertise and resources, adding that this synergy will enable the NCDC to monitor and address effectively address climate and disease-related issues, ultimately strengthening their ability to prevent and respond to public health threats in Nigeria.

The Director-General expressed that the partnership with NiMet will improve Nigeria's capacity to prevent and respond to public health threats, foster stronger collaboration and lead to a healthier, climate-resilient nation.

“This will help the NCDC improve our ability to prevent and respond to public health threats in Nigeria. This will not only strengthen the collaboration between NCDC and NiMet but will further benefit the entire Nigeria. We will continue to embark on this journey that will bring prosperity to Nigeria and lead to not only a healthier nation but a climate resilient Nigeria,” Mr. Idris said.

NiMet and NCDC sign MoU on data and information sharing [NiMets x handle]

Climate sensitive diseases

Climate-sensitive diseases are a major concern in Nigeria, where changing weather patterns and rising temperatures are increasing the spread of diseases. Climate change affects the health sector, particularly in regions such as Africa, where public health systems are under severe pressure due to fragile socioeconomic conditions.

In Nigeria, diseases such as malaria, cholera, Lassa fever and heat-related illnesses are exacerbated by climate change.

Malaria is more common during rainy seasons and in areas with poor drainage, posing a significant threat to public health. Cholera outbreaks are caused by flooding and poor sanitary conditions, while the transmission of Lassa fever to humans has increased as climate change has expanded the habitat of rodents that carry the disease.

Heat-related illnesses are becoming more common and pose health risks, especially for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and young children.

The World Health Organization has stated that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year worldwide, mainly due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.

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