Public Health Information About Nigeria Essay

Beaming sunrays, beautiful trees, and wild animals sound like the vacation of a lifetime. The country of Nigeria has all of these things plus plenty more to offer. Nigeria is located on the warm, dry, tropic continent of Africa. Unique foods, bright and colorful clothing, rythme filled dances come to mind when I think of Nigeria. Some people on the other hand would like to enjoy a warm fire place with a cup of hot creamy cocoa and soft fuzzy blankets in a winter lodge of Denmark. Sometimes A soft fur, games, food and being surrounded by family is all person need to call their vacation complete. Two different places with an abundance of beauty waiting to be seen.

After hearing about this experience from my infancy, I immediately asked myself why this simple diagnosis could not have been assessed in Nigeria. If my family could have accessed a hospital in Nigeria, this ordeal may not have lasted for as long as it did. I proceeded to ask additional questions, such as how many avoidable casualties occur in Nigeria due to lack of access to healthcare. My personal experience changed the way that I view analysis on health. Behind all of the statistics or numbers, I see human lives.

A major challenge and cause of serious medical issues in Sub-Saharan Africa is the lack of access to a clean water supply. There are 345 million people that lack access to water in Africa. Unfortunately, when water is available it is high in contamination. When wells are built and water sanitation facilities are developed, they cannot be maintained properly to due to limited financial resources. Water quality testing is not performed as often as necessary and the people are unaware that the water may not be safe to drink. Oftentimes, when a source of water has been provided, the quantity of water is often given more attention over the quality of. Lack of clean drinking is the leading cause of diarrheal diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa and causes 7.7% of deaths in Africa. Diarrhea is caused by numerous bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms most of which can be spread by contaminated water. The importance of diarrheal diseases has mostly been overlooked. Through UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) there have been some accomplishments during the

An average of about 500 cases occurs every year there. Serogroup B causes most of these cases. (WHO, 2004) 213,658 cases with 21,830 deaths were reported in West African countries during 1996-1997. Up to two percent are in epidemics in Africa. Devastating epidemics continue to occur

Nigeria is a very big country with very diverse culture. There are 36 states in Nigeria,

In Nigeria, the main ethnic group from Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo States are the Yoruba. You can also find Yoruba in Kwara, Kogi, and Edo States, but here the communities are not so big.

Poor infrastructure in African countries has exacerbated the problem as well, as hospitals are too ill-equipped and ill-staffed to deal with these sorts of outbreaks. Some hospitals have even been unable to contain its patients, with infected individuals wandering away from the medical facilities or crawling out into the streets to die.

Nigeria was ruled by the British for several years but gained its independence in 1960. Shortly after gaining its independence in 1966 a civil war broke out and has continued into the recent years. This year was the first time Nigeria had a successful election without any violence. The capital of Nigeria was Lagos but was moved to Abuja in 1986. What is interesting is that Abuja is similar to Washington D.C. in the United States. Like Washington D.C., Abuja is not a state but rather a federal district. There are some interesting things that are very different from our culture as well.

An epidemic rocked the Nigerian nation because of their inconsistent production of artisanal gold. Artisanal gold is just a term that is used to describe panning for gold whether it's using your own resources. The result of this horrific event sparked to lead poisoning which is poisoning due to absorption of lead into the body. This horrendous catastrophe left more than “four hundred infants dead and affected thousands more”. (Environmental Health Perspectives) More than ever a lot of children were getting infected because of the process of gold. Where did it take place and why did more children become exposed? This happened in Nigeria specifically focused in Dareta and Yargalama in the homes of many families.

In February 2013 nine female polio vaccination workers in Nigeria were killed. This tragic incident sheds some light on resistance to vaccinations. Ten years ago Nigerian religious leaders told citizens that vaccines were unsafe, that they caused sterility. Polio is close to becoming the second disease successfully eliminated due to vaccines. Less than 250 cases of Polio were reported last year worldwide. Polio can only be eliminated if Nigeria stops resisting and if South Asia does the same ("The Dangers of Vaccine Defiance [analysis]."). Polio is still a problem in Nigeria, even though it’s not in America. Given the amount of international travel and immigration, to not vaccinate is to risk the chance of young children getting a deadly disease. (Offit) Polio causes permanent paralysis in one in every 200 cases and death in a tenth of those cases. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) claims that 10 million children have been saved from paralysis due to vaccination. Vaccinations save 10 million lives every year. Many

I was privilege to attend a training organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in connection with the Ebola epidemic and it was revealed to participants that due to the Ebola virus outbreak the Osun State government has decided that the Osun-Osoogbo festival event will be a low-keyed one for 2014. It has been restricted to only residents of Osun to reduce the crowed and that participants in the festival will not be allowed to deep themselves into the river this year. For the government, this is a step in the right direction. It is however vital for those who will be involved in the festival to co-operation with this

According to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abu Dhabi (2013), Nigeria is a country in West Africa that it is primarily composed of three distinct ethnic groups: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo. Of these groups, the Igbo are known for being the most professionally oriented and independent in the country. English is the primary language, although many Nigerians speak multiple languages, including one or more of the 400 native languages. There are also two major trade languages, pidgin and

It has been establish that a country with abundant ethnicity does not mean that it is fated to be in conflict. Nigeria

Before we begin, let’s take a look at the country and its environs. Nigeria a former British Colony, located in the western part of Africa, it shares borders with Benin, Cameroun, and Niger. A growing population of 150million, labour force of 51million (70% Agriculture, 10% industry and 20% service), urbanisation is less than 40%, GDP is over $300billion, Per capita income is $2300. Nigeria is blessed with different cultures, languages and ethnic groups (252 in total); this was due to the colonization of the British in the early 19th century (Columbia Encyclopaedia). The British amalgamated its protectorates in 1914 to enable stable control and governance which made them create one Nation of Nigeria formed from all the groups, community and empires around the Niger area under their control. Nigeria had her independence on the 1st of October 1960 and since then various civil wars, political and religious unrest in the country to share power and resources amicably.

     Nigeria has been a country in political turmoil for a long time. The country was created in 1914 under British colonial rule and at that time it was considered a protectorate. It was not until 1960 that Nigeria received independence from the United Kingdom. One of Nigeria's problems politically is that it has over three hundred different ethnic groups. The three largest of these are the Hausa-Fulani, Igbo, and Yoruba. At the time of the independence of Nigeria it was split up into three states with each state being under the control of one of the major ethnic groups. The natural resources of the other 297 ethnic groups were exploited for the major three groups,