In environment country, people's health could be improved by reducing environmental risks including pollution, hazards in the work environment, noise, agricultural risks, climate and eco system change, says the World Health Organisation. The WHO last week released the first ever country-wise analysis of the impact environmental factors have on health. The new data shows that worldwide, 13 million deaths could be prevented annually by making environments healthier. In some countries, more than one-third of the diseases could be prevented through environmental improvements, according to WHO. In 23 countries, more than 10 percent deaths are due to two environmental risk factors: unsafe water, including poor sanitation and hygiene and indoor air pollution due to the use of solid fuel for cooking. Around the world, children under five are the main victims and make up 74 percent deaths due to diarrhoeal disease and lower respiratory tract infections.
The WHO data points out that low-income countries suffer the most due to environmental health factors. Even in developed countries, with better environmental conditions, about one-sixth of the disease burden could be prevented. The World Health Report presented in 2004 had said that environmental factors contributed to disease burden in 85 categories of diseases. However, this should be seen as a conservative estimate as there is no evidence for the indirect health effects that many environmental factors could have. WHO assess that 42% of malaria case is directly related to practices regarding land use, deforestation, water resources management, settlement locations and poor drainage facilities.
(The Hindu
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