An overwhelming majority of the diseases in Bangladesh — 91 per cent — are linked to climate-related factors, with women and children being the most vulnerable, according to a study published last month by the Health Service Division’s Climate Change and Health Promotion Unit.
The findings, derived from an analysis of 2.8 million cases reported in public hospitals across the country between 2017 and 2022, offer a stark picture of how climate-related factors are increasingly affecting public health. Researchers identified 510 climate-sensitive diseases in total, with 143 accounting for 90.66 per cent of all reported cases.
The most common ailments included diarrhoea, responsible for 28.5 per cent of the reported cases, followed by pneumonia at 18.9 per cent. Anxiety disorders accounted for 13.2 per cent while urinary tract infections made up 7.9 per cent of the cases. Other frequently-observed diseases included typhoid fever (3.3 per cent) and cholera (3 per cent).
Experts said the health impacts are being made by a range of climatic factors, including drought, heatwave, erratic rainfall, saline intrusion, water and food contamination, and the spread of disease vectors due to abnormal temperatures.
‘This is the first mapping of climate-sensitive diseases in Bangladesh. So we couldn’t compare the figures to earlier years,’ said Professor Md Iqbal Kabir, an epidemiologist who led the study. The research was published in March in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed journal, based in San Francisco, USA.
The study used primary data collected from the Directorate General of Health Services, which compiled reports from 516 healthcare facilities across the country, including upazila health complexes, district hospitals, and specialised institutions.
Women were found to be more affected by climate-sensitive diseases than men, accounting for 55.8 per cent of the cases. Children under the age of five were found to be the most vulnerable, comprising 33.1 per cent of all cases.
Geographically, Rajshahi division reported the highest incidence of climate-sensitive diseases at 18.3 per cent, followed by Chattogram at 17.6 per cent, Dhaka at 16.1 per cent, and Khulna at 14.7 per cent.
Md Shamsuddoha, chief executive of the Centre for Participatory Research and Development, said climate change impacts both physical and mental health and its effects vary depending on geography. ‘In coastal areas, salinity affects reproductive health and causes hypertension, while in regions like Rajshahi, people face drought-related illnesses such as diarrhoea, cholera, and heatstroke,’ he said.
Syed Abdul Hamid, a professor at Dhaka University’s Institute of Health Economics, noted that climate change has led to the emergence of new diseases and worsened existing ones. ‘Salinity intrusion, groundwater depletion, and extreme heat are pushing more people into illnesses,’ he said. ‘While we cannot immediately solve the climate crisis, we must reorganise our healthcare system to be better able to cope with the situation.’
Hamid emphasised focused efforts on prevention, control, and timely treatment. ‘We need better preparedness for early detections and appropriate medical response,’ he added.
A World Bank report released past year titled An Unsustainable Life: The Impact of Heat on Health and the Economy of Bangladesh highlighted the toll of rising temperatures on physical and mental health. Between 1980 and 2023, Bangladesh’s maximum temperature increased by 1.1C, while the ‘feels-like’ temperature rose by 4.5C, according to the report.
Though historical data on climate-related illnesses are limited, researchers said the intensity and frequency of such diseases appear to be rising. They also warned that funding to address these challenges remains woefully inadequate.
In Bangladesh, health-related climate funding accounts for just 0.34 per cent of the total climate spending.
In the 2024 World Risk Index, Bangladesh ranked 9th among the countries at high risk of climate disasters, with a disaster risk score of 27.73 out of 100, placing it in the ‘very high risk’ category.
Experts noted that cyclones, storms, and thunderstorms continue to injure and kill thousands annually, further underscoring the urgent need to integrate health planning into the country’s climate response.