Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a severe public health threat worldwide. Despite the global spread, there is an observed aberration and skewness in the geographic/regional distribution of the disease, with a high preponderance of cases and mortality occurring in the temperate regions compared to the tropics. A plausible explanation for this discrepancy could be linked to variability in environmental factors. Hence, this review discusses succinctly the possible influences of geographic location, temperature/sunlight, relative humidity and building design on the rate of transmission of COVID-19. We postulate that elevated melatonin production in a hot climate, high temperature, adequate vitamin D synthesis from sunlight exposure, high relative humidity and efficient ventilation due to housing design confers innate immunity and adaptive advantage to COVID-19 transmission for populations in the tropics over those in the temperate regions. Hence, we recommend that control studies taking into congnizance the relationship between environment and disease be prioritized. Such studies are important for predicting viral disease spread, in particular if this leads to pandemics like in the case of COVID-19, to aid decisions in public health policies at the global level.
Heavy metals’ presence in groundwater has garnered a lot of attention recently due to their impact on ecosystem and human health. Thus, this chapter was designed to assess the effects of heavy metals contamination in groundwater and its implication for public health education in selected communities located in an industrial area in Ogun state, southwestern Nigeria. Fifty groundwater sources were identified using a handheld global positioning system and analyzed for physicochemical and heavy metals properties. Four-hundred participants were selected and interviewed using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. The results indicated that there were high quantities of heavy metals in the groundwater that were above the allowable limit set by national and international regulations. A larger percentage of the respondents’ drinks water from groundwater supply. The majority of those surveyed were poorly informed on the effects of heavy metal contamination. The following ailments were experienced by the respondents in the last 6 months: frequent watery stool, difficulty in breathing, and skin infection. Few of the respondents reported the following occurrences in their household in the last 1 year: still birth, stunted growth in child, and death due to cancer. Therefore, there is a requirement for immediate public health education and health promotion activities among the local populace.
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