Negative manipulations of environment result in death – Don

Professor Felicia Ekpu of the Health Education and Health Promotion, University of Uyo, has said that most deaths in human are the results of negative manipulations of our environment.

She stated that if mankind contributes to positive manipulations of environment, the consequence will be better health, which in this case is a total wellness.

Speaking on Thursday during the 115^th inaugural lecture on “Wellness-Illness Continuum: Environment, a Vector or Vaccine?” she noted that the nexus between health and environment was the core theme of the lecture.

Ekpu added that man’s survival cold be a woe or blessing depending on the interface with the environment. She added, “The idea of the wellness-illness continuum is to espouse a friendly human-environment relationship to promote optimal health.”

She said, “In all the manipulations, man’s health is at an average state, neither sick nor toally well. It also progresses from poor health to optimal health or from optimal health to the lowest level of health, finally resulting in death.

“The relevance of this engagement is to screenshot attention and awareness on environmental health concerns. This introduces us to the idea of the wellness-illness continuum: the focus of this lecture, within which it will be established if the environment is a vector or a vaccine for wellness and health promotion.”

Ekpu explained that health is also heavily influenced by factors outside the domain of the health sector, especially social, economic and political forces.

According to her, the fact that these environmental factors are not static, their effects on human health also vary, creating a situation whereby one who was said to be very robust in health earlier in the day could be reported dead in the afternoon or thereabout.

The professor of health education, espoused that health is commonly taken for granted until it is lost. She added that health is a right of every human and a worldwide social goal; that it is essential to the satisfaction of human basic needs.

Ekpu talked also talked about physical and mental dimensions, mental health, emotional health, social dimension, and other factors like environmental sanitation and health, as well as housing.

The professor of health education, acknowledged the contribution of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly by instituting bills that take care of waste management.

She advocated consistency in waste management as heaps of refuse litter Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State.

Ekpu asked that environmental health education be introduced to certain groups, especially in markets.

She added, “People should be educated on how to take advantage of the refuse bins and stop indiscriminating dumping of refuse. Of course, the workers should also be committed to emptying the bins promptly to avoid spillage.”