World Health Day garners support to deal with climate change

This year’s World Health Day activities are being celebrated under the theme, “Protecting Health from Climate Change.”

The aim is to put one of the biggest challenges – climate change- at the centre of global health dialogue. Climate change is referred to as the long-term fluctuation in precipitation, temperature, wind and all other aspects of the earth’s climate.

The climate is often considered a major determinant of health. Changes in the climate globally is said to be posing a greater threat to gains made in public health, therefore the need to protect peoples health from the changes that they have begun to experience.

A recent study by the WHO estimated that climate change directly or indirectly contributes to about 77 000 deaths annually in Asia and the Pacific — about half of the world total attributed to climate change.

Among the potential effects of global warming are the appearance of mosquitoes where they were previously absent, with the accompanying threat of malaria and dengue fever.

Since global climate change began to emerge as a major issue in the late 1980s, WHO has guided and coordinated the research agenda on this issue, and contributed to major assessments, such as those of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Increasing air temperature, heat waves, sea level rise, drought and storms are some of the climatic happenings in Ghana and have effects on water resources, agriculture, health, desertification and coastal zone settlements.

Climate change on Ghana’s water resources will reduce freshwater flows between 15-20% for the year 2020 and 30-40% for year 2050 in all the basins. About two years ago, the nation experienced energy crisis due to below average inflows into the Volta Reservoir.

To developing countries like Ghana, the choice of this theme is more appropriate considering the fact that Ghana is currently experiencing the effects of global warming and its attendant unpredictable hazards to health.

Ghana last year had a bruise of it with flooding in some parts of the country. The health infrastructure was destroyed in some places and resources stretched to breaking point.

Sadly, the Ghana Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rains this year with the possibility of flooding in some parts of the country.

Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah (RTD) is worried that the gains that Ghana’s health sector has made could all be erased if Ghana start facing the full effects of climate change. “The irony is that these are almost certainly our own making. It looks as if the human race is in a self destruct mode. Several years of human activities such as tree felling, burning of fossil fuels, emissions from industries and transport have distorted the balance in the vital indicators of the atmosphere resulting in changes in temperature, rainfall and atmospheric pressure among others,” he stated.

Speaking at the launch of World Health Day and 60th anniversary of the founding of the WHO, he explained that these distortions have resulted in changes in the quality of the air we breathe, the quantity and quality of water available to the world’s population and the ability of the land to support human life.

Major Quashigah noted that checking climate change is beyond the scope of one agency and called on all organisations to collaborate to develop strategies for combating the major threat to global public health security.

“Without urgent and immediate action through changes in lifestyle and attitude, the effects on the global climate system could be irreversible, causing more frequent and more intense heat waves, rainstorms, tropical cyclones and surges in sea level. This can result in high loss of human, animal and plant life on health,” he emphasized.

The health minister challenged Ghanaians to endeavour to plant and nurture a tree at least in their life time as their contribution to reversing their own carbon foot print.

WHO Representative, Dr. Joaquim Saweka hoped that the message of the World Health Day 2008 will spur increased collaboration to ensure that the global community will be better prepared to cope with climate-related health challenges worldwide, in regions, countries and communities.

“Some of these actions could be the strengthening of surveillance and control of infectious diseases, ensuring safer use of diminishing water supplies and coordinating health action in emergencies,” he stated.

He commended the government of Ghana and its established ministries and agencies for already taking proactive actions in some of these areas, which have become best practices for other countries in Africa.

Dr. Saweka reiterated WHO’s support to provide technical and financial support to foster linkages between climate change, health and other development areas.