By Sola Ogundipe

The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr. Olajide Idris, has said that partnership with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, was essential for effectively tackling the effects of climate change on health services in the country and beyond.

A statement on Wednesday said Idris  spoke during a courtesy visit to the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike in his office in Abuja.

According to the statement, the meeting enabled the heads of the two agencies to discuss a wide range of issues, including identifying opportunities for collaboration in areas such as early warning systems for climate-sensitive diseases and public health threats.

They also explored how climate data can be integrated into disease prediction models, and the impact of weather and climate on disease outbreaks, such as those related to climate change, vector-borne, and water-borne diseases.

Additionally, the meeting focused on establishing a framework for regular data exchange and analysis to inform public health decisions and considered the potential for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for data sharing and joint research.

Speaking, Idris explained  that with climate change impacting health services delivery nationally and globally, it was important for the NCDC to partner with NiMet which already has data on the phenomenon.

 “It’s a good thing that NiMet has been working with the NCDC over the years. We only need to make the collaboration stronger,” he noted.

On his part, Anosike said the successes recorded by the NCDC during the period of the COVID pandemic leveraging technology has demonstrated that technology can help in solving societal problems in Nigeria.

He noted that it was a good time for stronger collaboration between NiMet and NCDC.

 “Every one of us is vulnerable to climate change. NiMet will look into all the areas identified including sharing of data and developing a draft MOU. Every year NiMet presents its seasonal climate prediction (SCP) which is an early warning tool. What is happening nationwide has been predicted.

“We issue three and seven days, one month, three months, and daily forecasts. The impact of climate change is real all over the world. We are alerting the various states. Each state should set up its processes to manage the flooding and other arising issues”.

Further, he said NiMet would forge a stronger partnership with NCDC. “Climate change poses threats to the health and well-being of all. It affects our food, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. This has caused the spread of certain pests and diseases across the world, not only in Nigeria. Climate change multiplies the threats. It compounds everything”, he stated.