Foundation Warns Poverty, Household Pollution Driving COPD Surge In Nigeria

The Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF) has warned that poverty and persistent household air pollution are fuelling a growing burden of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Nigeria, turning the illness into a silent public-health crisis.

In a statement issued in Enugu to mark World COPD Day, ACUF Board Chairman, Prof. Chiwuike Uba, said reliance on biomass, firewood and charcoal for cooking driven by deepening poverty continues to expose millions to harmful smoke, with national COPD prevalence already estimated at 9 per cent.

He noted that similar rates in both rural and urban areas dispel the assumption that COPD is mainly an urban or smoking-related disease, pointing instead to widespread structural inequities and environmental exposures.

Uba decried severe gaps in diagnosis and care, including fewer than 30 per cent of tertiary hospitals possessing spirometers and a ratio of one respiratory specialist to 2.3 million Nigerians. Adult vaccination programmes for pneumonia and influenza remain weak, while clinician training and rehabilitation services are inadequate.

He warned that, without urgent intervention, COPD cases could rise to 30 per cent of the population within 25 years.

Uba urged government and health agencies to prioritise awareness, data, research and treatment, insisting that improved systems and policy reforms are essential to prevent the disease from escalating further.