Person:
Mahmud, Iffat

Global Practice on Health, Nutrition, and Population, The World Bank

Fields of Specialization

Health technology, HIV and AIDS

ORCID

0000-0002-4321-3490

Departments

Global Practice on Health, Nutrition, and Population, The World Bank

Last updated: November 7, 2024

Biography

Iffat is based in Dhaka and has primarily been focusing on providing implementation support to the Government of Bangladesh for implementing the Ministry's health sector program. She has co-authored three analytical and advisory services. Iffat has extensive experience of working on sector wide approaches in the health sector as well as of administering large trust funds.

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Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

An Unsustainable Life: The Impact of Heat on Health and the Economy of Bangladesh
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-11-07) Mahmud, Iffat; Azfar Raza, Wameq; Shabab Wahid, Syed
A manifestation of climate change, temperature increases in Bangladesh are increasing at an alarming rate, with frequent bouts of extreme heat events. In 43 years, between 1980 and 2023, maximum temperature in the country increased by 1.1°C, while the “feels like” temperature rose by 4.5°C over the same duration. How does increasing exposure to excess heat affect the physical and mental health outcomes of individuals and their productivity in the short term? An Unsustainable Life: The Impact of Heat on Health and the Economy of Bangladesh analyzes temperature changes in Bangladesh between 1976 and 2023. The study then uses primary data collected in 2024 from a two-round household survey covering more than 16,000 individuals in Bangladesh to quantify the adverse effect of rising temperatures on specific physical and mental health conditions as well as productivity losses. Using the findings, the report serves three main purposes: (1) provide localized evidence that links the effect of heat on health and recommend effective adaptation measures to reduce the vulnerabilities of the Bangladeshi population to heat; (2) quantify economic losses borne by the country due to global warming to assist Bangladeshi policy makers in leveraging international support and financing to mitigate the impacts; and (3) add evidence to the global discourse on heat and human physical and mental health, and loss of productivity. The evidence presented in this report underscores the immediate need for comprehensive strategies to address the escalating health risks posed by climate change, notably heat, in Bangladesh. Interventions that can help individuals moderate the effects of heat on their health are critical to ensure the well-being of the Bangladeshi population. Learning from best practices of climate-comparable countries and leveraging localized information, Bangladesh can create a more resilient future to better address the impacts of climate change.
Breathing Heavy: New Evidence on Air Pollution and Health in Bangladesh
(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022) Raza, Wameq Azfar; Mahmud, Iffat; Rabie, Tamer Samah
Globally, air pollution has been identified as a major risk factor for premature mortality and morbidity; it caused an estimated 6.7 million deaths in 2019. The burden of disease falls particularly heavily on low- and middle-income countries, where the exposure levels tend to be significantly higher. Bangladesh is among the hardest hit. The country was ranked as the most polluted country in the world between 2018 and 2021; its capital, Dhaka, was ranked as the second-most polluted city. In 2019, air pollution was the second-largest risk factor for deaths and disability in the country. Four of the top five causes of total deaths were directly associated with air pollution—stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory tract infection. The most vulnerable populations are children, the elderly, and people with underlying health conditions. Higher rates of mortality and morbidity are further compounded by substantial associated economic costs. Global evidence on the relationship between air pollution and adverse health events has been widely available. Data points specific to Bangladesh, however, have been comparably sparse, and the quality of the available evidence has been limited. Breathing Heavy: New Evidence on Air Pollution and Health in Bangladesh addresses this paucity by combining primary data from Bangladesh and global evidence to establish the relationship between air pollution and reduced health. The evidence, in particular, identifies the urgent need for new initiatives to strengthen the health sector. These initiatives include bolstering public health response mechanisms along with health care service delivery, expanding the scope and accuracy of air pollution data, and understanding better the issues surrounding air pollution and its effects on health through further research. With climate change projected to further exacerbate air quality, it is increasingly critical for countries like Bangladesh to implement adaptation and mitigation measures. This seminal work will be of value to policy makers, practitioners, and subject matter experts as they address the growing challenges in policy dialogue under the overall framework of the government’s Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan Decade 2030.
Is Dhaka’s Weather More Conducive to Dengue Outbreaks?
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-10) Mahmud, Iffat; Hossain, Rafi
This report provides evidence from Dhaka to establish the linkage between climatic conditions and dengue outbreaks. In chapter two, the overall trend of dengue cases and associated deaths are presented; following which chapter three examines climate and dengue-related data for Dhaka to assess whether climatic conditions contributed to the major dengue outbreak in the capital city in 2019. Chapter four then presents the global evidence for the linkages between climate variability and the mosquito lifecycle. Analyses of weather variables for Dhaka between 1976 and 2019 are presented in chapter five to ascertain overall trends in climatic conditions. Chapter six provides a summary of key findings and recommends options for policymakers to consider.
Infected and Stressed by Climate Variability: New Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-10) Mahmud, Iffat; Hossain, Rafi
Bangladesh’s extreme vulnerability to the effects of climate change is well documented. Through a complex pathway, climatic conditions have already negatively impacted human health worldwide. This is likely to escalate if predicted changes in weather patterns hold. Infectious disease transmission will change in pattern and incidence for certain vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue, and waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. The incidence of respiratory disease will be affected by extreme temperatures that exacerbate the effects of allergens and of air pollution (World Bank 2012). If global warming progresses toward a 4°C increase scenario, a scenario presented as the worst case at the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference of Parties, stresses on human health can overburden the systems to a point where adaptation will no longer be possible (World Bank 2012). Hence the urgent need for the public sector to be better prepared to respond to the crisis. The consequences of climate change and/or climate variability are well documented and hypothesized. The literature linking climate change or climate variability and health, however, is less so. Climate variability refers to short-term changes in the average meteorological conditions over a month, a season, or a year. Climate change, however, refers to changes in average metrological conditions and seasonal patterns over a much longer time (Mani and Wang 2014). Compared to the availability of global evidence on this topic, the evidence from Bangladesh is far more limited. Among the studies available for Bangladesh, some require further substantiation because they are mostly regional one-off studies with a range of methodological limitations. In doing so, the report responds to several key questions, summarized in this subsection. What it does not do is construct mathematical models for projecting the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases and mental health issues based on predicted climate change patterns. Nor does it attempt to establish a causal relationship between climate change and the selected health conditions. The report uses primary data from a nationally representative sample of about 3,600 households surveyed during the monsoon and dry seasons. It links weather variables, the incidence of selected diseases, and health conditions in Bangladesh to ensure that the findings are, as much as possible, based on precise climate and health data. The recommendations, therefore, are context-specific and drawn from primary evidence.
Bangladesh: Finding It Difficult to Keep Cool
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-10-10) Mahmud, Iffat; Hossain, Rafi
Bangladesh is a low-lying river delta with a long coastline of 711 kilometers and floodplains that occupy 80 percent of the country (Hasib and Chathoth 2016). The country experiences a multitude of natural disasters every year. Severe floods, cyclones, storms, tidal surges, and river erosion frequently cause loss of life, with devastating social and economic impacts. These extreme weather events are expected to be exacerbated by the effects of climate change (Rahman et al. 2019). The Government of Bangladesh’s National Climate Vulnerability Assessment identified a number of climate-related hazards in 2018 that are critical for Bangladesh, including increasing temperature and heat stress; more frequent and longer droughts; increasing rainfall intensity; higher river flows and flood risks; greater riverbank erosion; sea level rises and salinity intrusion; landslides; and increasing intensity of cyclones, storm surges, and coastal flooding (Government of Bangladesh 2018). In rural areas, where nearly 80 percent of the population live, climate change has an immediate and direct effect on the health and wellbeing of millions of people who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. The impacts of climate change are also increasingly felt in large cities that are exposed to various climate-induced hazards, including variations in temperature, excessive and erratic rainfall, water logging, flooding, and heat and cold waves (Rabbani et al. 2011). These hazards are exacerbated by high population density, poverty, rural–urban migration, illiteracy, and a lack of public utilities and services (Rabbani et al. 2011). Rapid urbanization and a growing urban slum population are quickly changing the population dynamics in Bangladesh, and this has implications for climate-induced health risks (Mani and Wang 2014). The country has the world’s highest rate of mortalities that are caused by natural disasters, with more than half a million people lost to disaster events since 1970. Most of these deaths have occurred during floods or cyclones (Nahar 2014). Not long ago, Bangladesh was hit by two major cyclones: Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009. Cyclone Sidr killed 3,406 people while more than 55,000 sustained physical injuries. Heavy rain and tidal waves caused by wind effects led to extensive physical destruction and damage to crops and livestock. After Cyclone Sidr, an assessment by the Government of Bangladesh found widespread outbreaks of diarrhea, dysentery, acute respiratory infection, and pneumonia. Children ages five or younger were the most vulnerable (Kabir et al. 2016b). Cyclone Aila hit the southern coastline of Bangladesh and partly damaged the Sundarbans. Along with outbreaks of diarrheal diseases was an acute scarcity of drinking water and food (Kabir et al. 2016b). With the number and intensity of such storms or cyclones projected to increase, climate change can reverse some of the significant gains Bangladesh has made in improving health-related outcomes, particularly in reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and improving nutritional outcomes.
Climate Afflictions
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2021-10-07) Mahmud, Iffat; Hossain, Md Rafi
Bangladesh’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change is well documented; the evidence on the direct relationship between climate change and health focusing on Bangladesh is less so. Global evidence suggests intensification of climate change will increase incidences and variations of infectious diseases. Climate Afflictions contributes to filling this important knowledge gap. It includes a systematic review of existing literature on the relationship between climate change and health, distinguishing between climate change and variability. It establishes the relationship between climate variability and infectious diseases and mental health using household-level data. It also documents changes in climate patterns in Bangladesh over the past 44 years using monthly meteorological data. Overall, the report finds a strong relationship between infectious diseases, mental health, and climate variability. Based on analyses of primary data, it concludes that the prevalence of vector-borne diseases is higher during the monsoon than dry seasons, while the opposite is true for waterborne illnesses. Meanwhile, rising humidity and mean temperature are positively associated with respiratory illnesses. In terms of mental health conditions, while temperature is negatively correlated to depression, anxiety among individuals is likely to increase with temperature and humidity. Irrespective of the season, morbidity and mental health issues are highest in densely populated urban hubs such as Dhaka and Chattogram compared to other areas. The mean temperature in Bangladesh has increased by 0.5°C between 1976 and 2019. Overall, summers are becoming hotter and longer, the monsoon season is extending, and winters are becoming warmer. Consequently, Bangladesh is on the path to losing its distinct seasonality. With global warming progressing faster than initially projected, stresses on human health may be elevated to an extent that can overburden the systems to a point at which adaptation will no longer be possible. Countries susceptible to climate change, like Bangladesh, need to be better prepared.
Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Nutrition in Bangladesh: Can Building Toilets Affect Children's Growth?
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2016) Mahmud, Iffat; Mbuya, Nkosinathi
This report provides a systematic review of the evidence to date, both published and grey literature, on the relationship between water and sanitation and nutrition. We also survey the potential impact of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) on undernutrition. This is the first report that undertakes a thorough review and discussion of WASH and nutrition in Bangladesh. The report is meant to serve two purposes. First, it synthesizes the results/evidence evolving on the pathway of WASH and undernutrition for use by practitioners working in the nutrition and water and sanitation sectors to stimulate technical discussions and effective collaboration among stakeholders. Second, this report serves as an advocacy tool, primarily for policy makers, to assist them in formulating a multisectoral approach to tackling the undernutrition problem.
Glue Sniffing and Other Risky Practices Among Street Children in Urban Bangladesh
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-11-27) Ahsan, Karar Zunaid; Mahmud, Iffat; Claeson, Mariam
The inhalation of solvents among children and adolescents for recreational purposes has been a long standing problem in the developed world, although it is an emerging issue in South Asia, especially in urban areas. This study explores the linkage between glue sniffing and other drug use and high risk practices related to increased vulnerability and risk for HIV and AIDS in Bangladesh and also documents the serious health effects of glue sniffing. Although Bangladesh has an overall low prevalence of HIV, it is facing a concentrated HIV epidemic among injecting drug users. There is a risk that young children who inhale glue may also be more likely to use other drugs, and that this early introduction to drugs lead to injecting drug habits, associated with increased risk for transmission of HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted diseases. This study aimed at assessing the nature of drug use and other risky practices among street children aged 11 to 19 years in Dhaka and Chittagong, the two major metropolises of Bangladesh. The study highlights the vulnerability of street children in general and the problems they face on the streets, primarily due to their lack of social protection. Inhalation of glue and use of other substances like cannabis and pharmaceuticals, smoking and chewing tobacco, were found to be prevalent among these children. They were also found to be sexually active early and most of them were engaged in unprotected sex, most girls selling sex, and most boys reporting low condom use. Although this study was not designed to determine a direct causal link between early solvent abuse, injecting drug use and HIV, the study shows an association between glue sniffing, injecting drug use and other risky sexual practices, which amplifies the risk for HIV among these children, making the case for intervening early.