Saving the lives of invisible women

Kanza Ahmed is a Global Public Health Advisor and Epidemiologist at UKHSA.

In her role, Kanza focuses on the intersection of global health security and global disaster risk reduction, including climate change.

Tell us a little about your work?

One aspect of my role is addressing how disasters and climate change impact women. It's fascinating and challenging work that allows me to contribute to improving the lives of women globally.

Do disasters disproportionately affect women?

When disasters strike, women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men (UNDP 2022). My work at UKHSA involves understanding and mitigating this disproportionate impact. For instance, during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 70% of the 230,000 people killed were women. One contributing factor is the gendered nature of skills taught, as highlighted in the book "Invisible Women" by Caroline Criado Perez.

When disaster strikes, are we all at equal risk?

Humans are deeply connected to their environment. Understanding how gender dynamics intersect with environmental factors is crucial in dealing with hazards, climate change, and disaster risk reduction. For instance, the neglect and exclusion faced by trans women and women from indigenous and other ethnic groups during disaster responses is a concern that needs attention.

How does your work contribute to improving disaster risk reduction and response?

Previously, I have had the privilege of representing UKHSA Global Operations in collaboration with UN Women in Tonga. We focused on understanding how different genders are affected by disasters, especially post-volcanic eruption tsunamis.

As part of this, we trained enumerators on hazards and disaster-related data collection, surveyed 2,541 households, and provided valuable insights to the Government of Tonga for better planning and decision-making.

Why is it essential to work towards equity in survival?

International Women’s Day is not just about equity of opportunity; for me it's about bringing in that range of experience and insight and the equity of survival.

Disasters pose unique risks to women, and addressing these disparities is crucial. By working towards understanding and mitigating these risks, we not only empower women but contribute to a more equitable and resilient global society.

Why is it important to you to have more women and girls interested in a career in the sciences?

Encouraging more young women to enter the field of public health is something I’m very passionate about, and ensuring they’re engaged with the opportunities available to them is essential in developing services and systems for survival in the future. Having women from a diverse range of backgrounds is crucial to developing approaches that are fit for now and the future.

In global public health and disaster response, embracing equity means acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges faced by women and girls, ensuring their voices are heard and their lives are prioritised. And how can you expect to do this well without women at every level of a response?

By focusing on these issues, we can truly celebrate the International Women’s Day and British Science Week , not just by recognising achievements but by actively contributing to a more equitable and inclusive future.

What has climate change got to do with our health?

I attended COP28 which for the first time hosted a Health Day. It was a fantastic opportunity to engage others on the health impact of the climate crisis.

Climate change is often considered in terms of the environment but a change in the climate also poses a significant impact to our health. Increasing temperatures and any small changes to the climate can decline the quality of the air we breathe. It also potentially increases the likelihood of infectious diseases, as well as changing the pattern and geography of where diseases would normally occur.

?Climate change brings an increase in the likelihood of?disasters due to natural hazards which can affect our health in both the short and long term. We also do not know the full extent of the impact of climate change on demographics, therefore, it is important to work cross-sectors to develop mitigation and adaptation solutions with a health focus.

How can climate health threats be tackled?

The health threat from climate change is often overlooked or misunderstood, this is because there is a lack of consistent standardisation globally when reporting on health threats.

Working with global partners, our aim is to develop metrics for measuring the impact on health of the climate crisis. This will also include measures for better understanding the impact on different genders.

Standardised measurements will allow us to accurately illustrate the scale of the problem and inform policies which protect health in the face of global climate change.

The UN discourage the use of the term natural disasters as disasters occur when there is a failure to plan and there is nothing natural about failure to plan. Comms team may want to look at the UN’s No Natural Disasters campaign to see the kind of language they encourage.