by Li Nuer
HARARE, Jan. 27 (Chinese media) -- A recent gathering of
environment and health ministers in Libreville, Gabon, saw the adoption of the
Libreville Declaration which commits governments to take measures to stimulate
policy, institutional and investment reforms to optimize synergies between
health, environment and other relevant sectors.
The Gabon meeting highlighted the need to address
health, environment and economic development issues in an interrelated manner to
generate new synergies in poverty reduction and social equity, according to
reports by the Harare-based Southern African Research and Documentary Center.
Luis Sambo, the regional director of the World Health
Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, said the signing of this landmark
declaration is the first step towards saving the lives of millions of people
from the harmful effects of changes in the environment.
"We will work together to promote strategic alliances
between health and environment. I am delighted that we have managed to secure
political commitment to catalyze institutional changes needed to improve the
health and well-being of communities in the region," he said.
It is estimated that a quarter of the total burden of
diseases in developing countries is associated with environmental risk factors.
According to a WHO report, in Africa 23 percent or
2.4 million of all deaths in 2006 were attributed to environmental risk factors.
The environmental risk factors to which Africa is
exposed include inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene, as well as poor
water resource management and unsafe water environments.
Africa's coverage of safe drinking water and safe
sanitation stands at about 56 percent and 37 percent of the population,
respectively.
While there has been an overall improvement in the
coverage of water supply in Africa since 1990, the regional projected coverage
in 2015 still falls well below the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of
75 percent.
As such the vast majority of Africa's population will
continue to rely on unsafe water sources, which themselves are exposed to
increasing contamination and pollution.
About 90 percent of the global burden of malaria and
of schistosomiasis affects the population of sub-Saharan Africa. Cholera is also
an important water-related vector-borne disease which is prevalent in Africa.
There are also air pollution related illnesses that
affect people across Africa.
The impact of air pollution on health is seen in the
increasing cases of respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and
tuberculosis. Other common air pollution-related diseases include
heavy-metal-oriented illnesses, allergies and skin diseases, which are
experienced mostly by children and the poor.
According to the fourth Global Environment Outlook
(GEO-4) report, Africa also faces challenges associated with chemical safety.
African farmers use large amounts of chemical pesticides, and there are as much
as 50,000 tons of obsolete stockpiles of pesticides contaminating soil, water,
air, and food. Cases of poisoning from chemicals are often under reported.
The Libreville Declaration also acknowledges that
Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. At the same
time, the continent has the least adaptive capacity to the health and other
impacts of climate change.
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