Dr Yakubu Baba, Registrar, Environmental Health Council of Nigeria (EHCON), says Nigerians spend an estimated N3.75 trillion annually treating malaria.
Baba made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday, saying the annual expenditure amounted to a malaria tax on Nigerians.
He said the huge expenditure could be reduced through stronger environmental health services and preventive measures to address the conditions responsible for the spread of diseases.
The registrar was responding to calls for the restoration of effective sanitary inspection across the country to improve environmental hygiene and public health.
He said Nigeria could reduce the burden of preventable diseases on health facilities by prioritising environmental health services.
According to him, with a population of more than 250 million, and each person experiencing malaria at least twice or thrice annually, the cost of treatment places a significant financial burden on households.
“With over 250 million Nigerians, and each person suffering malaria at least twice or thrice a year at an average treatment cost of N5,000, every Nigerian spends about N15,000 yearly on malaria alone.
“Multiply N15,000 by 250 million. This is what we are paying as tax,” he said.
Baba said the burden of malaria also contributed to high morbidity and mortality, especially among children under five.
He explained that effective disease control required addressing the sources of infection, especially where diseases were transmitted by vectors.
“According to epidemiology, if a disease is caused by a vector, eliminating the disease requires targeting the vector,” he said.
The registrar also identified poor sanitation and open defecation as factors contributing to recurring cholera outbreaks.
He said rainfall often washed human waste into streams and other water sources, contaminating water and vegetables consumed by residents.
“Anytime rains come, because of our habit, people defecate everywhere. And when rain comes, it washes it to the stream.
“Even those that think they are in the city, your vegetables and tomatoes are coming from that river. If they are not washed well, cholera does not segregate between rich and poor,” he said.
Baba said strengthening public and environmental health services would significantly reduce the incidence of preventable diseases.
He expressed concern over the emphasis on establishing teaching hospitals, specialist hospitals and Federal Medical Centres without corresponding investment in primary-level preventive health services.
According to him, while bills are regularly sponsored at the National Assembly to establish or upgrade tertiary health institutions, little attention is given to providing health posts for preventive services.
He also raised concerns over the quality of bottled water consumed by Nigerians, saying EHCON recently tested three bottled water brands during an engagement involving the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Baba said the tests detected E. coli in all three samples, with only one brand meeting the required standard.
He said the findings showed that urban residents were also exposed to environmental health risks in spite of their perception of greater protection.
“Who is supposed to do all this? It is the environmental health officers, who are not being employed by government,” he said.
The registrar said environmental health officers had statutory powers to inspect premises and enforce public health regulations.
He explained that the officers were legally empowered to enter premises without a warrant for inspection and could make arrests under the Public Health Law.
Baba urged governments to employ more environmental health officers and assign them specific areas of responsibility to strengthen sanitation monitoring and enforcement.
He said such arrangements could also generate revenue for governments through environmental health services.
“Give them a franchise of an area so that they can be able to provide their services and also generate revenue for you because there is revenue component also in environmental health,” he said. (NAN)
