Environmental Health Unit to include climate change monitoring – Dr Anthony

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has sounded the need for proper surveillance to trace weather and health implications, as climate change incrementally reveals its distressing effects on populations.
At the opening of an environmental health symposium on Monday, he disclosed that the Environmental Health Unit will soon transform to accommodate climate change.
This five-day workshop will include the participation of environmental officers, assistants, and inspectors from the ten administrative regions and municipalities across Guyana. They will receive training in areas such as the environmental health manual, the use of a del aqua kit, and water purification.

Minister Anthony further advocated that during the symposium, the participants explore ways in which they can collaborate with other departments, like vector control, to mutually benefit.
“For those who are environmental assistants, we would have to identify those who show promise and provide them with courses to elevate them to the level of environmental officers because we need various categories of people in the system. We should also assess the current cohort to determine if it’s sufficient and create a checklist of the core requirements along with a reporting system to ensure they (the staff) meet expectations,” he underscored.
Research shows that 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Between 2030 and 2050, the World Health Organisation estimates climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.
Climate change is directly contributing to humanitarian emergencies from heatwaves, wildfires, floods, tropical storms and hurricanes and they are increasing in scale, frequency and intensity.
Apart from this, Guyana lies several feet below sea level, causing floods to be of grave worry. Just last weekend, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo announced that Guyana will be allocating some US$500 million for climate-proofing within the next three years.