NCDC Chairman syas Nigeria's Life Expentancy now 47, Lowest in West Africa

Life expectancy in Nigeria is now 47 years, making it the lowest among west African countries, Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, Project Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has said.

He said this in Gusau on Thursday at the commencement of the second Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA).

Nasidi who stated this in a paper with the theme “Lead Poisoning: Zamfara Experience” said this position was 30 per cent below the world’s average life expectancy.

He said it was a situation that was attributable to some health factors, including child and maternal mortality, spread of polio virus and other epidemics.

“One out of every five children die before the age of five years due to polio and other infections.

“Nigeria is one of four countries where polio is still an on-going epidemic,” the Project Director said.

Nasidi said in Zamfara alone, acute lead poisoning had killed more than 400 children and caused brain damage in several others in Anka and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas.

He described lead poisoning in the area as the “worst-ever recorded outbreak of its kind in modern times.’’

The Project Director said mass lead poisoning and massive cholera epidemics were tragedies of the 19th century.

“This outbreak and our inability to interrupt polio virus transmission are serious indicators of the state of public health service in Nigeria,” he said.

Nasidi said a survey carried out in the affected areas of Zamfara in November 2010 had revealed that more than 85 per cent of the soil had lead contamination.

He said its spread was aggravated through heavy rainfalls.

Nasidi said blood samples of infected persons exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency rate by three folds while some blood samples were as high as 100,000 parts per million.

He lamented that in spite of response measures through the collaborative efforts of the state and federal governments, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), illegal mining resumed in the area.

The Project Director said this occurred at Dogon Dajin Sarkin Noma village of Adabka ward in Bukkuyum local government area, killing 11 out of every 22 persons since September 2011.

Vanguard