SURPRISINGLY, common but preventable infections still account for about 57 per cent of deaths from all ages in the country, 48 years after independence.
This is a wide increase from 38.2 per cent of deaths recorded from infections about a decade ago, an indication that the country has not made any significant progress in its health care provision.
Investigation by THE PUNCH reveals that of the 10 top causes of death in all ages in the country, infections account for seven.
According to statistics from the World Health Organisation, the 10 top causes of death in Nigeria in order of importance are: HIV/AIDS, lower respiratory infections, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, measles, perinatal conditions(conditions surrounding women in pregnancy), tuberculosis, cerebrovascular diseases, ischaemic heart disease and whooping cough.
HIV/AIDS tops the list of death among Nigerians with 16 per cent. This is followed by lower respiratory infections and malaria, which account for 11 per cent each of the death toll. Others are diarrhoeal diseases (7%); measles (6%); perinatal conditions (5%); tuberculosis (4%); cerebrovascular disease (4%); ischaemic heart disease (3%); and whooping cough (2%).
However, causes of death among children under-5 are: neonatal causes (26%); malaria (24%); pneumonia (20%); diarrhoeal diseases (16%); measles (6%); HIV/AIDS (5%); injuries (2%); and others (1%).
A professor of community health and Chief Medical Director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Prof. Akin Osibogun, attributed the growing rate of infection-related deaths to poverty. According to him, poverty is still a major problem in the country, and it is difficult for many people to afford a good environment.
Osibogun said urbanisation resulted in overcrowding and overstretching of the few available facilities, adding that illegal markets springing up in all over the cities contributed to unhealthy environment.
However, a pathologist at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Dr. Sade Ogunsola, an associate professor, identified lack of potable water and good sewage system as part of the causes of high disease burden.
According to her, there is the need to strengthen the primary health care system and improve on water provision and good sewage disposal system.
She noted that the health care system was not at its best, with the problem of poverty, ignorance and inadequate budgetary provision.
However, the Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin, said on the telephone on Tuesday that he did not know if HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death in the country. He, however, noted that mortality from HIV/AIDS was being brought down as a result of improved treatment and care.
Lack of adequate data is however the greatest obstacle to disease surveillance in the country. In her meeting with stakeholders on the containment of the disease outbreaks recently, the Minster, Prof. Adenike Grange, admitted that the greatest problem facing the country was improper data collection and poor surveillance. She said epidemiologists were not reporting the outbreaks and when they do, the figures do not add up. She said that was why it was difficult for government to achieve quick and adequate response to the outbreaks. The WHO had admitted same, blaming field officers of the Health Ministry for poor reporting and monitoring.