The Osun State Government has advised residents against wearing heavy clothing to prevent illnesses associated with extreme heat.
The warning was given by the Permanent Secretary, Osun State Ministry of Health, Dr Isiaka Adekunle, while speaking with our correspondent on the sidelines of a validation meeting organised by the state government in collaboration with Global Funds, Catholic Relief Services and Oxford Policy Management, held in Osogbo, Osun State on Tuesday.
At the meeting, an HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria-Focused Climate and Health Vulnerability Assessment and Osun State Risk Management and Health Adaptation Plan was presented to stakeholders and experts drawn from relevant sectors in the state.
Adekunle, who emphasised the important role weather conditions play in human health, said staying hydrated and in a well-ventilated areas would enhance residents’ health despite the rise in heat wave.
Commenting on the validation meeting, Adekunle said the proactiveness of the state government informed the initiative, noting that the plan being presented would focus on HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Presenting the plan, a consultant with Oxford Policy Management Group, Dr Kolawole Olatunbosun, said the team had conducted an assessment of the impact of climate change on the health of residents, especially HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria patients across all local governments in Osun State.
The medical expert expressed belief that with the support of local and international partners, the state would take the lead in ensuring that the effects of climate change do not damage the health of the people.
In their separate remarks, Osun State Commissioner for Health, Jola Akintola, a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Ibadan, Godson Ana, representing the Federal Ministry of Health, and Prof Babatunde Akinde, the Provost, College of Science, Engineering and Technology of Osun State University, Osogbo, challenged all the stakeholders to collaborate for the successful implementation of the report.
