By GERARD ANTHONY NAVAL
THE World Health Organization (WHO) and Department of Health
(DOH) yesterday expressed fear over the continuous threat of climate change
saying this could badly hamper the health situation in the Philippines.
In a press conference, Health Secretary Francisco Duque and
WHO country representative Dr. Soe Nyunt-U urged the people to help provide
solutions on the possible effects of the global phenomenon.
"These (climate change) challenges will hamper progress
toward attainment of the health-related Millennium Development Goals," Duque
said.
"Climate change threatens to reverse our progress in fighting
diseases of poverty and to widen the gaps in health outcomes between rich and
the poor," Soe said.
The health bodies noted that there are direct and indirect
effects of climate change to the health of human beings causing death to about
thousands every year.
"At present, it is not possible to make accurate health
outcomes for the country that might be caused by climate change; nevertheless,
this situation requires us to place climate change in the health development
agenda," Duque said.
"Governments need to put human health and well-being at the
heart of climate change policy and renew efforts to protect health by
strengthening health policies," Soe added.
According to the WHO, among the diseases that could be
brought about by the environmental variability are heat stroke, malnutrition,
respiratory ailments as well as vector, air, water, soil and food-borne
diseases.
It said this is aside from the effects of floods, storms,
cyclones, droughts, air pollution to one’s health.
The National Epidemiology Center of the DOH related that its
study in 1998 noted the second highest number of dengue fever cases in the
country at 36,000 while cases of malaria also reached 2,466.
It added that disruption in water supply and sanitation
brought about by extreme temperatures contributed to rise in water-and
food-borne ailments such as typhoid and cholera.
The WHO and the DOH said the public should not ignore but rather work
together in averting the continuous worsening of global warming as well as its
effects to everyone’s health.
