On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders gathered in Abuja to examine possible and relevant strategies aimed at reducing hunger in Nigeria by transitioning from tobacco production to food crop farming.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Engineer Olusesan Adebiyi said tobacco cultivation contributes to increased food insecurity as arable lands that are supposed to be used to grow food crops are used to farm tobacco.
The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Morenike Alex-Okoh, said this at a press briefing to commemorate the ‘World No Tobacco Day’ which is observed globally on May 31 annually.
The theme for the year’s campaign is “We Need Food, Not Tobacco” which seeks to raise awareness about alternative crop production, and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage the farmers to grow sustainable and nutritious crops.
It also said the theme aims to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts which are known to contribute to the global food crisis through interference with the government’s laudable policies geared towards promoting viable, profitable, sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing.
It said although Nigeria is not a major producer of tobacco, 2022 data from the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) said the country is ranked 9th in Africa.
According to a report by the United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF), 25 million Nigerians are at risk of facing hunger between June and August 2023. Hence, the need for Nigeria to cover its arable lands to cultivate food crops to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition.
Alex-Okoh said people are more aware of the harm caused by tobacco via smoking, chewing and snuffing. However, there is less focus on the harm growing tobacco does to farmers, their children and the environment.
He said the farmers are exposed to several health risks such as acute nicotine poisoning also called “green tobacco sickness” which is characterized by nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle weakness and dizziness when farmers absorb nicotine through their skin when in contact with the leaves of mature tobacco plants.
Children are also said to be more at risk of having the green tobacco sickness due to their low body mass, especially children who contribute enormously to the workforce of tobacco in the low-middle-income country.
“Globally, widespread cultivation of tobacco leaf has raised various public health concerns, including concern about child labour and occupational health hazards. Children are more susceptible to nicotine absorption and green tobacco sickness given their proportionately lower body mass.
“Also, there is evidence to show that exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fumigants among children who work on tobacco farms may result in severe chronic health consequences due to higher risks of cancer, reproductive health issues, mood disorder and permanent neurological damage,” he said.
The Ministry of Health said it is committed to working with National Tobacco Control Committee(NATOCC), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and others to create alternative cropping for tobacco farmers according to the stipulations of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act 2015 which prioritizes alternative cropping for tobacco farmers in line with Section 5(h) that mandates the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC) to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and other relevant agencies in that regard.
In addition, the ministry said it will ensure Nigeria has the data on the number of tobacco farmers, the total hectarage of tobacco farms as well as alternative cropping for the farmers including technical support to all stakeholders involved towards achieving a reduced burden of tobacco use and tobacco-related illness in the country.
Speaking, the World Health Organization Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi, said tobacco kills half of its users and is responsible for more than 8 million deaths annually. And more than 7 million deaths are as a result of direct tobacco use while nonsmokers account for 1.2 million death from exposure to second-hand smoke.
Dr Kazadi, who was represented by Dr Mary Dewan said, apart from the health risk of tobacco and global food insecurity, growing and the production of tobacco, contributes to
deforestation, soil degradation and low capacity for growing food crops and other agricultural activities which lead to climate change and damage to the ecosystem.
He said ” unfortunately, nine out of 10 biggest tobacco farmers are in low and middle-income countries with four of these countries defined as low-income food -deficit countries.
“Any profit to be gained from tobacco as cash crop is not enough to offset the damage done to sustainable food production in these countries.”
He advised that lands to grow tobacco be re-prioritized to growing food crops to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 —zero hunger. Also for government and policymakers to develop and implement policies and strategies as well as provide an enabling market for tobacco farmers to move growing food crops that would provide them and their families a better life.
The Programme Manager, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Chibuike Nwokorie said Nigeria needs to have data on tobacco farmers in order to have a successful transition from tobacco farming to crop production and consumption.
He also declared that NTCA will continue to partner with the ministry to ensure that tobacco is effectively controlled in Nigeria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said no fewer than 20 million children have been spared disability and are walking today due to the global efforts achieved in polio cases.
Moeti said since the landmark resolution for the worldwide eradication of polio was adopted in 1988 at the 41st World Health Assembly, global efforts have achieved more than 99.9% decrease in polio cases.
Two of the three strains of wild poliovirus (Type 2 and Type 3) have been certified as eradicated, and in 2020 the African Region was certified as free of indigenous wild polio, she said.
Moeti disclosed this in her message to mark the World Polio Day celebrated annually on October 24, to provide opportunity to highlight global efforts toward a polio-free world, and to honor the unwavering commitment of those on the frontlines of the fight to eradicate polio.
The theme for this year, “World Polio Day 2022 and Beyond: A healthier future for mothers and children”, kicked off with discussions in Geneva between WHO, Rotary International, and polio experts, to consider future efforts to continue the decades-long collaboration against polio.
According to her: ” This progress is admirable, and has safeguarded millions of children and their families from this crippling virus. However, detections of new outbreaks, including in areas where polio was believed to have been eradicated, is a stark reminder that if we do not deliver on our promise to eradicate all forms of polio, everywhere, no child is safe anywhere.
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“The Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022-2026 Strategy to end polio lays out the pathway to finish this last mile. The significant global commitment to fund the strategy, at the 2022 World Health Summit polio pledging event earlier this month, was extremely encouraging.
“In a show of global solidarity, the host country Germany, along with 15 other countries, as well as charities, international organizations, and numerous private sector initiatives, committed more than US$ 2.6 billion to the strategy – more than half the total target.
“With this renewed financial commitment, we now have a critical opportunity to ramp up eradication efforts. For the African Region, this means improved surveillance and high-quality immunization campaigns targeting zero-dose children for vaccination against all polio strains.
“At the end of the first quarter of 2022, WHO announced the successful closure of 32 outbreaks in 10 countries. Yet, there are ongoing outbreaks that demand we stay vigilant and finish the job. This is critical for Africa to stamp out new cases of wild polio, as well as to safeguard our wild polio-free certification status.
“According to the most updated statistics for the continent, more than 250 cases of paralysis from polio have been recorded this year. That is 250 too many.
“To halt outbreaks of the circulating polio variant, 500 million vaccine doses have been administered globally, 95% of these in Africa. Following two immunization rounds, no further transmission has been seen. The polio response has also prompted innovative digital technologies to identify, track and best deliver vaccines, especially to those in hard-to-reach areas.
“Our endeavors to deliver a polio-free world are also helping strengthen the greater public health system, boosting the overall response to other health threats and emergencies. The polio structure has been instrumental in supporting surveillance and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout globally, also increasing the efficiency of the Region’s emergency responses to diseases including measles and cholera.
“Going forward, it is critical that we continue to advance our polio transition plans in tandem with eradication efforts, to best leverage our limited public health resources.
“On World Polio Day today, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the dedicated health workers who are delivering on the polio promise, going door-to-door to administer vaccines in often challenging circumstances, to safeguard every eligible child.
“Let us continue to support one another as we accelerate efforts in Africa, and globally, to end polio once and for all”, she further stated.
WHO Reveals 3 Things Needed To ‘Eliminate’ Monkeypox As Global Infections Exceed
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded 50,496 cases of Monkeypox and 16 deaths as of Wednesday, August 31, 2022.
However, figures on the dashboard of the global health agency showed that transmission is slowing down in Europe and the United States which are hotspots of the virus.
WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the decline in new infections proved the outbreak could be brought to a halt.
“In the Americas, which accounts for more than half of reported cases, several countries continue to see increasing numbers of infections, although it is encouraging to see a sustained downward trend in Canada,” he told a press conference.
“Some European countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, are also seeing a clear slowing of the outbreak, demonstrating the effectiveness of public health interventions and community engagement to track infections and prevent transmission.
“These signs confirm what we have said consistently since the beginning: that with the right measures, this is an outbreak that can be stopped.”
An increase in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the African countries where it has long been endemic.
The WHO triggered its highest level of alarm on July 24, classifying it as a public health emergency of international concern, alongside Covid-19.
“Eliminating monkeypox needs three things: the evidence that it’s possible, which we are now beginning to see; political will and commitment; and the implementation of public health measures in the communities that need them most,” Tedros said adding “We don’t have to live with monkeypox.”
