Bola Bamigbola
The Osun State Government has advised residents against wearing heavy clothing to prevent illnesses associated with extreme heat.
The warning was given by the Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Health, Dr Isiaka Adekunle, while speaking with our correspondent on the sidelines of a validation meeting organised by the state government in collaboration with Global Funds, Catholic Relief Services and Oxford Policy Management, held in Osogbo, Osun State on Tuesday.
At the meeting, an HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria-Focused Climate and Health Vulnerability Assessment and Osun State Risk Management and Health Adaptation Plan was presented to stakeholders and experts drawn from relevant sectors in the state.
Adekunle, who emphasised the important role weather conditions play in human health, said staying hydrated and in a well-ventilated areas would enhance residents’ health despite the rise in heat wave.
“It is part of the changes in the climate that we are seeing. Of course, there will be heat. The temperature will rise, and when things like that happen, there are heat-related health challenges associated with it. So what should we be doing? First and foremost, the most important thing is that everybody must know that this is the period when you have to drink a lot of water.
“Secondly, try to wear something very light. You don’t need to put on thick clothes. Wear something very light. Some people have the habit of wearing too many clothes. They should desist from that for now. Just put on something light. Another thing is, let us open our windows. Let there be free circulation of air. This is not the time to close everything. This is the time to open your windows and allow free circulation of air,” Adekunle said.
Commenting on the validation meeting, Adekunle said the proactiveness of the state government informed the initiative, noting that the plan being presented would focus on HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Presenting the plan, a consultant with Oxford Policy Management Group, Dr Kolawole Olatunbosun, said the team had conducted an assessment of the impact of climate change on the health of residents, especially HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria patients across all local governments in Osun State.
“We know that the climate is changing. There is no harmattan like before. There is flooding everywhere, drought, changes in rainfall pattern. So the essence of our assessment is to examine what is happening and how it is likely to affect our health, especially for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
“In our findings, we were able to identify different patterns of transmission of the diseases and we layered it on the climatic issues across all the local governments. Places that had water before no longer have water, how does that affect health? Places where there were roads before are now flooded and people cannot go to the hospital. What will the state do?
“If the state does not know where the leg is paining it, it will not know how to fix it. This assessment, using data from the state and from international sources, gives a clear picture of what is going on in the state regarding climate and health and that will help the state to clearly prioritise and target interventions to where they will be most beneficial,” Olatunbosun said.
The medical expert expressed belief that with the support of local and international partners, the state would take the lead in ensuring that the effects of climate change do not damage the health of the people.
In their separate remarks, Osun State Commissioner for Health, Jola Akintola, a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Ibadan, Godson Ana, representing the Federal Ministry of Health, and Prof Babatunde Akinde, the Provost, College of Science, Engineering and Technology of Osun State University, Osogbo, challenged all the stakeholders to collaborate for the successful implementation of the report.
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