Increasing poverty, air pollution worsening lung conditions in Nigeria

Insecurity, poverty, poor health care and air pollution, a chest expert, Professor Chibueze Njoku has itemised as deadly combinations firing increasing problems of the lungs in Nigeria.

Professor Chibueze Njoku made the assertion in his keynote address to the 2016 annual general meeting and scientific conference of the Nigerian Thoracic Society with the theme “Lung health and Poverty”.

Njoku, a consultant chest physician, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital stated that individuals’ live condition, starting from the womb, will determine how well their lungs will function.

According to him, deficiency of certain vitamins, like A and D, in mothers in poverty ridden areas could affect the genesis and formation of a healthy lung.

He declared that deficiency in Vitamin D and anaemia has been linked with an increased risk of asthma in babies born to mothers in poverty ridden areas.

“Iron deficiency during pregnancy may directly impact infant and childhood breathing health.   It increases the chances of their children’s wheezing and asthma,” he stated.

Poverty, Njoku said is also contributory to their poor access to water, sanitation, and health care services, ultimately leading to poor health.

According to him, “mothers in poverty ridden areas end up been born with chronic diseases, but this disease also prepares the child for poverty and so poverty becomes a vicious cycle.”

He added that poor indoor pollution due to smoking, cooking indoors and working close to factory sites with high exhausts, and inability to get appropriate treatment when sick also contributes to increased likelihood of health poor.

Njoku, therefore called for a government policy to tackle poor health arising from poverty, including health education and taking health care to their door steps.

President, Nigerian Thoracic Society, Professor Etete Peter described poverty as a major determinant of overall health status and some diseases that affect organs of breathing.

According to him, “we discovered that in the last few years because of the increasing poverty in Nigeria, there has been tremendous increase in prevalence of lung diseases associated with poverty.