… Contaminated floodwaters, blocked drainages heighten cholera, typhoid, malaria risks…Urge govts to strengthen surveillance, stock medicines before deaths riseBy Chioma Obinna
The floodwaters that swept through Lagos and several parts of Nigeria in recent weeks left behind more than submerged homes, impassable roads and ruined livelihoods.
Across communities battered by relentless rainfall, families watched helplessly as muddy water invaded their homes, traders counted heavy losses after shops and markets were inundated, motorists abandoned vehicles trapped on flooded roads, while thousands of commuters waded through waist-deep water simply to get to work or return home. For many residents, every dark cloud now brings fresh anxiety.
But public health experts warn that the greatest danger begins after the floodwaters recede.Beyond the visible destruction lies a looming public health emergency as contaminated water, poor sanitation, blocked drainage systems and climate change create ideal conditions for outbreaks of cholera, typhoid fever, malaria and other infectious diseases.
A Consultant Public Health Physician at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr. Adedayo Aderibigbe, described flooding as far more than an environmental disaster.
