Boluwatife Ojewande warns that everyday stress, poor housing, and unstable income could trigger a slow-building public health crisis

Health communication and social work expert Boluwatife Ojewande has warned that the next major public health crisis may not emerge from a single virus or sudden outbreak, but could develop quietly from the cumulative pressures of everyday life.

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Ojewande, speaking from Lagos on Monday, highlighted factors such as unstable income, job stress, pollution, unsafe housing, high transportation costs, and delays in accessing healthcare as drivers of a gradual, systemic health emergency.

“The greatest threat to public health today is not a single illness; it is based more on the way everyday life is organised around constant strain,” she said.

The expert explained that these pressures contribute to rising mental health challenges, preventable chronic diseases, burnout, and avoidable hospital admissions.

“Health emergencies rarely begin from zero. They grow from existing vulnerabilities. A missed paycheck, a heatwave, or a power outage can trigger a chain reaction,” Ojewande said.

She noted that in Nigeria, many households now delay medical care due to the cost of tests, drugs, and hospital visits, leading to more severe conditions and added strain on hospitals already struggling with staff shortages.

Ojewande also linked climate change and economic hardship to the growing crisis, citing extreme heat, flooding, poor air quality, and other environmental hazards that exacerbate respiratory illnesses, heat-related conditions, and infectious diseases.

“A community with stable housing and accessible medical care may bend, but it will not break. However, a community without those foundations can collapse, and that collapse may happen slowly, silently, until it becomes impossible to ignore,” she said.

The expert emphasised that traditional public health models focused on emergency response, stockpiles, and rapid reaction teams are no longer sufficient.

Preventing future crises requires sustained investment in daily life conditions, including mental healthcare, stable housing, clean air and water, strong primary healthcare systems, worker protections, and preventive care.

“In public discussions, we admire resilience, but resilience has a breaking point. People cannot be expected to survive under extreme pressure forever. When exhaustion becomes normal, systems collapse in silence,” Ojewande warned.

Recent reports, she said, show rising rates of unmanaged chronic diseases, growing demand for mental health services, and increased emergency admissions for preventable conditions like hypertension, diabetes complications, and stress-related heart problems.

“The next health crisis may not come from a virus,” Ojewande said. “It may appear as mental breakdowns, substance-related harm, children struggling in school, or adults unable to work due to untreated chronic illness.”

She urged policymakers to broaden their definition of public health threats, stating that financial stability, access to clean water, safe environments, adequate rest, and reliable healthcare are essential tools for preventing emergencies.

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Ojewande concluded: “The most effective response to the next health crisis may happen before it is recognised. Public health should not be measured only by how we respond to emergencies. It should be measured by whether we reduce the conditions that make emergencies unavoidable.”