Towards Reducing the Burden of Global Environmental Related Health Problems in the 21st Century

Abstract

Environmental health issues are major risk factors in the global burden of disease. This paper therefore focuses on the most important link between health and environment. It discusses the most important environmental threats to health in the 21^st Century especially in the low and middle income countries. It reviews the burden of disease from unsafe water supply, hygiene, sanitation, outdoor and indoor poor pollution toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). It examines the contributions of personal hygiene to reduce the burden of environmentally-related health problems, comment on the consequences of environmental health problems on human health and explain the future global challenges to reduce the burden of disease in the community. Towards the most cost-effective ways of reducing the global burden of environmental related health problems, it was therefore recommended that there should be a reduction in the air pollutants to enhance health status of the inhabitants through the use of improved stove or gas for cooking at homes.  There is need to focus on investment in low-cost environmental sanitation, improve water quality for human consumption and inculcate the hand-washing habit to reduce the burden of food-water borne infections.

Keywords: millennium goals, environment, environmental-health problems, burden of disease, sanitation, pollution.