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Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize
- South Africa has a high level of environmental burden of disease, with 16% of all deaths related to the state of the environment.
- Health Minister Zweli Mkhize revealed this during a virtual conference marking World Environmental Health Day.
- Experience has shown that outbreaks highlight the importance of environmental health.
South Africa has a high level of environmental burden of disease, and an estimated 16% of all deaths are related to the state of the environment, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Tuesday, referring to a World Organization report. Health (WHO) 2006.
“In reality, everything is linked, a healthier environment gives you a healthier population and we must do everything possible to ensure that we continue to improve the quality of our natural environment.”
“The science of environmental health is based on the premise that prevention is better than [the] heal in regards to this profession, with the key environmental factors that are at the heart of the dynamics of public health, “he explained during a webinar commemorating World Environmental Health Day.
During the virtual conference, Mkhize noted that “the fight for health for all will be won or lost in the public health space, so it is essential that we pause to focus attention on environmental health.”
Added:
The International Federation for Environmental Health recognizes the continuing threats from environmental risk factors to human health and the urgent need to adopt a preventive approach to improve the quality of the natural environment and reduce the impact of environmental diseases on the earth, in the health of the population.
READ: OPINION | Environmental monitoring is needed for a clearer picture in public health interventions
The premise that “prevention is better than cure” became more apparent amid the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, where environmental health professionals became even more critical, he said.
The health department was currently concerned about environmental interventions in the context of Covid-19 prevention and response measures.
“[The] The impact of Covid-19 was the way it exposed the [paucity] from basic services to our communities and the challenges of underdevelopment such as water scarcity, poor sanitation, overcrowded informal settlements, which exposed all the weaknesses of our local government, environmental services and others ”, explained Mkhize.
According to Mkhize, the experience showed that the outbreaks, be it Covid-19, cholera or malaria, highlighted the importance of environmental health and the need for a cooperative response approach by government and society.
“This creates a natural association between the Department of Health and the local government level in the services that we will have to provide: waste management, drinking water, sanitation, food hygiene and many more areas.
“A clean environment, a healthy population and a vibrant economy are synonymous and it is not about choosing one over the other; each leads to the other, and therefore we must maintain that balance,” Mkhize said.
As of Monday, September 28, the official Covid-19 figures from South Africa showed a total of 671 669 accumulated cases detected, 604 478 recoveries and 16 586 deaths.
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