Currently, it is possible to say that Nigeria has made a remarkable progress from the point where it was thirty years ago and to its contemporary stature on the world stage. Nevertheless, a significant number of problems remain challenging for Nigeria such as poverty, hunger, conflicts, and a high burden of disease. The last one is highly influenced by population’s relation to health, knowledge of hygiene rules, development level of medicine, and environmental condition.
Among leading causes of the burden of disease in Nigeria, it is possible to mention poverty, insufficient sanitary arrangements, poor health care standards, and low public concern over health and medicine which can be considered at the same time as the primary risk factor contributing to the burden of disease.
Life expectancy in Nigeria remains consistently low – 62.9 years for male compared with 66.3 for female. Meanwhile, in the USA these indexes reach 76.3 and 81.3 years respectively (“Life Expectancy All Races,” 2014). Concerning the diseases that caused the most deaths in Nigeria in 2015, it is possible to mention malaria (mortality rate is 150.1 per 100,000), lower respiratory tract infection (92.3 per 100,000), hemoglobinopathies and hemolytic anemias (69.0 per 100,000). Besides, there are also diarrheal diseases (35.4 per 100,000) and neonatal encephalopathy (34.9 per 100,000) (HealthGrove by GraphiQ, 2013). More than that, Nigeria is a part of sub-Saharan Africa that is severely affected by HIV – almost 1.5 million of people got infected in this area in 2013 (United Nations Department of Public Information, 2015, p. 2).
Undoubtedly, poverty, poor housing conditions, lack of clean water and adequate medical care, unsanitary conditions can be considered as the leading causes of the disease burden in Nigeria. However, it is possible to mention the unique factors influencing the genesis and spread of each illness. Regarding malaria, the mosquito which is responsible for malaria-spreading needs quite a high temperature and humidity. Consequently, it is not surprising that this disease is so much widespread in Nigeria which environmental conditions fit the mosquito’s preferences perfectly. Unfortunately, despite the annual enhancement of mortality from malaria, Nigeria’s government does not intend to increase investment in health care. As a result, such a policy, incubation of drug-resistant malaria, poor public health practices can be considered to be the leading causes of abnormal disease’s expansion in Nigeria.
Concerning infectious respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV-related pulmonary infections, etc., the absence of adequate medical health and low public interest can be considered as the most significant causes of disease burden. As for non-infectious respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, sarcoidosis, etc.), use of woods as cooking fuel, certain categories of employment (wood worker, stone cutter, cement worker, coal miner), absence of new sorts of antibiotics can be mentioned as the leading causes of the spread of diseases (Akanbi, Ucoli, Erhabor, Akanbi, & Gordon, 2009, pp. 11-12).
Furthermore, when it comes to diarrheal diseases, it is necessary to mention contaminated water and hygiene breaches as the factors of the illness spread. The risk of diarrheal disease is particularly high among children. In the case of neonatal encephalopathy, it is possible to suppose that hygiene offenses of pregnant women, delivery in unhygienic conditions and inadequate treatment are among the most significant reasons of the disease burden (Oloruntoba, Folarin, Ayede, 2014, p. 1001).
It is necessary to consider some risk factors that can contribute to the burden of disease. In Nigeria, child and maternal malnutrition constitute a danger the most for all the population groups (the annual mortality is 193,546 individuals or 21.6%). This risk factor is followed by unsafe sex (157,409 people or 17.6%) and by alcohol and drug use (80,867 people or 9%). Among other behavioral risks, it is possible to mention dietary risks (59,631 people or 6.7%), tobacco smoke (15,782 people or 1.8%), low physical activity (14,126 people or 1.6%), and, at last, sexual abuse and violence (9,186 people). As for environmental risks, air pollution causes harm the most (annual mortality is 97,248 people or 10.8%). Unsafe water, sanitation, and hand washing also make a significant impact on people’s health (annual mortality is 65,785 people or 7.3%). In comparison to air pollution risks, occupational risks are not so high (annual mortality is only 5,568 people). At last, it is important to take into consideration metabolic risks, the most dangerous of which are high systolic blood pressure (83,407 people or 9.3%), high body mass index (40,621 people or 4.5%), and low glomerular filtration rate (25,185 people or 2.8%). Concerning high fasting plasma glucose and high total cholesterol, there are the lowest risks for Nigerians to die from these diseases (2.8% and 1.4% respectively) (HealthGrove by GraphiQ, 2013).
To sum up, behavioral risks are the most dangerous to life and health of Nigerians. To decrease the burden of disease, it is crucial first of all to educate the population in basic hygiene rules, to make them realize the importance of hand washing and contraception. The whole system of teaching should be established in nurseries, schools, and at work. Another factor of reduction in the burden of disease lies in enormous investment in a health care, rebuilding the hospitals and health centers, educating the doctors and nurses, acquisition of expensive equipment. In other words, there is an acute need in significant sums. However, before the Nigerian government grasps the importance of its citizens’ life and health, Nigerians hardly can expect any major changes.
Finally, it might be concluded that population’s relation to health, development level of medicine, environmental health, and knowledge of basic hygiene rules make a significant impact on the burden of disease. Behavioral risks contribute the most to the burden of disease.
References
Akanbi, M. O., Ucoli, C. O., Erhabor, G. E., Akanbi, F. O., Gordon, S. B. (2009). The burden of respiratory disease in Nigeria. African Journal of Respiratory Medicine. Web.
HealthGrove by GraphiQ. (2013). [Graph illustration the health care of Nigeria]. Nigeria: Statistics on Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors. Web.
Life Expectancy All Races. (2014). Web.
Oloruntoba, E. O., Folarin, T. B., Ayede, A. I. (2014). Hygiene and sanitation risk factors of diarrhoeal disease among under-five children in Ibadan, Nigeria. African Health Sciences, 14, 1001-1011.
United Nations Department of Public Information. (2015).The Millennium Development Goals Report.Web.