Human seminal plasma hypersensitivity: an underrecognized cause of postcoital allergic symptoms.

The accelerating pace of climate change presents one of the most significant threats to global health in the 21st century, with impacts disproportionately affecting the world’s most vulnerable populations. Northwest Nigeria, situated within the arid and semi-arid Sahelian region, is a quintessential example of a climate-stressed hotspot. The region is characterised by increasing temperature variability, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts and desertification, which collectively undermine the agrarian and pastoral livelihoods upon which a majority of the population depends. These environmental shocks act as potent drivers of food insecurity, economic instability and forced migration, creating a cascade of socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Poverty, both a cause and consequence of climate vulnerability, is endemic in Northwest Nigeria. The region reports some of the highest multidimensional poverty indices in the country, with limited access to education, healthcare and secure employment. This socioeconomic precarity creates a fertile ground for poor mental health outcomes. The psychological toll of climate variability – encompassing loss of livelihood, displacement and uncertainty about the future – has been associated with anxiety, depression and profound stress. Globally, a growing body of literature has established a strong association between exposure to extreme weather events, gradual environmental degradation and adverse mental health consequences, often termed ‘eco-anxiety’ or ‘solastalgia’ (the distress caused by environmental change). Confronted with such chronic stressors and lacking access to formal mental health support or adaptive economic resources, individuals may turn to maladaptive coping mechanisms. Substance use, particularly the misuse of alcohol, cannabis and prescription opioids, has been identified as a common, though detrimental, strategy to self-medicate psychological distress and escape the realities of hardship. This may create a vicious cycle: substance use can exacerbate poor mental health, impair economic productivity and deepen poverty, further reducing resilience to future climate shocks.