By Uzair Adam

The growing frequency of floods and other extreme weather events linked to climate change is contributing to the spread of infectious diseases across Northern Nigeria, a public health expert has warned.

Dr. Aisha Adam Abdullahi, a public health officer with Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT), disclosed this in an exclusive interview with SolaceBase, highlighting what she described as the increasingly visible connection between changing weather patterns and disease outbreaks in the region.

Her concerns come amid mounting evidence that climate change is affecting not only livelihoods and food security but also public health.

In recent years, several northern states have experienced devastating floods that displaced thousands of residents, destroyed homes and farmlands, and heightened fears of disease outbreaks in affected communities.

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According to Dr. Abdullahi, seasonal changes have long influenced the occurrence of certain diseases, but the effects are becoming more pronounced as climate-related events become more frequent.

“The major highlight of my talk was the correlation between climate change and infectious diseases. A lot of diseases are linked to seasonal changes. Some occur during the dry season, while others occur during the rainy season,” she said.

She noted that flooding, which has become increasingly recurrent in many parts of the country, is among the most significant climate-related events affecting public health.

“Flooding is something that is becoming more recurrent as the years go by. It may be linked to climate change, and flooding comes with a lot of consequences,” she said.

One of those consequences, according to her, is the displacement of people from their homes, often forcing them into overcrowded environments where infectious diseases can spread rapidly.

“Flooding leads to displacement of people, and displacement leads to overcrowding. When people are crowded together, a lot of infectious diseases transmit easily because people do not have access to many basic necessities and healthcare services,” she explained.

She added that in such circumstances, illnesses that could ordinarily be treated at an early stage may worsen due to delayed access to medical care.

“A simple infection can progress and become severe because people are unable to get healthcare when they need it,” she said.

Dr. Abdullahi also drew attention to the relationship between flooding and cholera outbreaks, noting that contaminated floodwaters often expose communities to harmful pathogens.

“When there is flooding, many contaminated materials are washed into communities. Gutters and drainage channels overflow, and we do not always know what they contain. They may contain bacteria, viruses and other disease-causing organisms,” she said.

The expert identified cholera as one of the diseases commonly associated with flooding, particularly in communities with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.

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Nigeria has recorded several cholera outbreaks in recent years, with health authorities frequently linking the outbreaks to contaminated water sources, inadequate sanitation facilities and population displacement caused by disasters.

Beyond cholera, Dr. Abdullahi said malaria, measles and meningitis remain among the major infectious diseases of concern in Northern Nigeria.

“There is measles, and then there is malaria. Malaria does not go out of season. It is present during the rainy season, the dry season and even during dusty periods. We also see some incidents of meningitis,” she said.

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of illness and death in Nigeria, while meningitis outbreaks have historically affected states within the country’s meningitis belt, particularly during the dry season when hot and dusty conditions prevail.

Public health experts have increasingly warned that climate change could alter disease patterns by creating conditions that favour the transmission of infectious diseases, including those spread through contaminated water, vectors such as mosquitoes, and close human contact.

For Dr. Abdullahi, the implications are clear: climate change is no longer only an environmental concern but a growing public health challenge that requires urgent attention.

“The impact goes beyond the environment. Climate change affects people’s health and increases the burden of infectious diseases. That is why there is a need for greater awareness and preparedness,” she said.

Dr. Abdullahi said reducing the impact of climate-related disease outbreaks requires greater preparedness from both health authorities and communities.

She called for improved healthcare access in vulnerable areas, stronger sanitation systems, sustained public health education, and proactive measures to mitigate flooding, noting that preventing outbreaks is often more effective and less costly than responding to them after they occur.