"Early hospital admission, close monitoring, timely access to blood when required, and appropriate fluid and supportive management are crucial to reducing dengue-related deaths among women," Dr. H.M. Nazmul Ahsan told The Daily Star.
In Bangladesh, health officials have observed a higher rate of dengue infection among males this year, while females have accounted for a higher percentage of deaths from the virus.
According to The Daily Star, the Directorate General of Health Services reported in late August that nearly 62% of the then 32,590 known dengue infections in the country in 2026 had been in males, compared to around 38% in females. Meanwhile, of the 88 deaths associated with the mosquito-borne disease by the end of August, over 58% had been in females, compared with over 41% in males.
By September 11, a directorate dashboard indicated that those percentages have shifted somewhat. Of the now 141 recorded deaths, those among women and girls account for just over 52% of deaths, and those among men and boys account for just under 48%, while men and boys still account for 62% of infections.
"Men generally move around more, traveling between home, workplaces, and other locations, which increases their chances of infection and mosquito bites," Kabirul Bashar, a professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University, told The Daily Star.
Meanwhile, H.M. Nazmul Ahsan, an associate professor at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, indicated to the news outlet that the higher mortality rate among women may be linked in part to delayed treatment and hospitalization associated with social and household burdens. The prioritization of other tasks over timely care for infected women and girls could be dangerous, especially during pregnancy.
"Early hospital admission, close monitoring, timely access to blood when required, and appropriate fluid and supportive management are crucial to reducing dengue-related deaths among women," Nazmul said.
Dengue can be fatal, cause pain and fever, and pose serious threats to maternal health and pregnancy. Malnutrition and menstruation may also contribute to severe cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abnormal bleeding, including menorrhagia — prolonged or heavy menstrual bleeding — can develop in those infected with dengue.
The spread of the mosquito-borne virus may be exacerbated by a range of extreme weather events. Human-caused climate change is expected to expand the regions susceptible to dengue.
Meanwhile, understanding more about changing regional risks as well as social factors could help officials and communities improve monitoring, planning, prevention, and response efforts, including public health messaging to encourage timely care. As of September 12, Bangladesh is launching a three-month dengue prevention campaign.
As recently reported by The Independent, Lesotho is challenging gender norms in midwifery as it works to improve access to skilled maternity care and reduce maternal deaths, particularly in rural communities.
While still uncommon, Lesotho has an estimated 300 male midwives who are contributing to its maternal health workforce. Lesotho has made progress in maternal mortality since 2000, but its maternal mortality ratio remains high at 478 deaths per 100,000 live births, above the sub-Saharan Africa average and more than twice the global average.
The global shortage of midwives takes on added urgency as humanitarian aid cuts, hospital closures, and human-caused climate change disrupt health systems and intensify risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Last year, the International Confederation of Midwives called on governments to strengthen the midwifery workforce through a global petition.
As more men enter the traditionally female-dominated profession, diversifying the maternal health workforce could be one way to strengthen and build resilience in maternal health services.
Research published last month in Nature Communications has identified temperature thresholds associated with rising risks of adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, including preterm birth, stillbirth, and low birth weight.
The systematic review and meta-analysis draw on 103 studies and nearly 42 million data points across six continents, providing further evidence of the link between extreme heat exposure and poor pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Risk increased as temperatures rose: 5% at 30.6°C (87°F), 10% at 34.1°C (93°F), and 20% at 39.1°C (102°F). But, importantly, the authors underscored that there is no one-size-fits-all temperature threshold. Risk varied by health outcomes and factors such as humidity, duration of exposure, and access to cooling, suggesting that heat warnings for pregnancy may need to account for local conditions.
The authors noted important limitations, including differences in how studies measured heat, which made results difficult to compare. Some studies also used heat indices developed using data from young, healthy men and not pregnant people. Also, only four studies came from low-income countries, leaving a substantial gap in the global evidence base.
Meanwhile, the findings could help public health officials develop more locally tailored heat warnings and identify when pregnant people need additional protection from rising temperatures.
A new Amnesty International report documents how years of recurrent drought in southern Angola have forced people, particularly women and children, into Namibia in search of food, water, livelihoods, and more. Once there, many face barriers to legal status, health care, and housing, while fear of arrest and deportation can deter them from seeking support.
The report highlights the lack of accessible legal pathways for people displaced across borders by climate disasters and calls for stronger protections, greater investment in drought preparedness and resilience, and more effective global coordination.
Its recommendations span governments in Angola and Namibia, regional institutions, high-income and high-emitting countries, and the international community. They include recognizing migration as a legitimate climate adaptation strategy and scaling up adaptation funding for countries facing drought and climate-related displacement.
Exposure to residential air pollution may literally reshape the brain, possibly with different impacts for women and men.
In a study published this summer and led by the Keck School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, researchers analyzed data from almost 1,500 adults, drawing on data sets from two previous studies.
Estimating participants' exposure to nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter — found in fossil fuel emissions and wildfire smoke, respectively — and reviewing later MRI scans, the researchers linked higher levels of exposure to changes in parts of the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a university news release.
Among the women participants, whose average age was 78, the researchers saw higher levels of exposure linked to a thinner cortex — or outer layer — of these regions of the brain. Among the men, whose average age was 62, they saw a thicker cortex.
A thicker cortex is typically associated with youth and health, but in addition to acknowledging that the analysis drew on two previous studies with different participant populations and age distributions, researchers suggested that there may be something else going on and pointed to a need for more investigation.
"Our findings raise the possibility that pollution-related brain changes are not linear," lead author Lauren Salminen said in the release. "A thicker cortex at one point in life could represent an early biological response, while thinning later in life could reflect accumulated damage."
Further study could follow men and women from the same cohort over time and inform approaches to supporting brain health, especially in communities chronically exposed to traffic-related, industrial, and wildfire pollution.
Those focused on tracking the effects of the human-induced climate crisis will be more than familiar with the discussion of "tipping points." The crossing of such thresholds is typically expected to bring about accelerated disaster.
But a report released this week by The Earthshot Prize and the University of Exeter has identified what its co-authors call "positive tipping points." According to a press release, the report describes 51 solutions that "can trigger rapid and transformative change to repair our planet within the next five years." Among those solutions are clean cooking and clean household energy.
The co-authors suggest that scaling up pay-as-you-go solar setups and rural electrification projects to replace cooking and heating fuels like firewood, charcoal, and gas has the potential to greatly reduce emissions.
According to the report, globally, more than 2 billion people rely on polluting cooking fuels that contribute to planet-warming and harm indoor air quality. Inside homes, social norms and practices mean that the health of women and children is disproportionately impacted while cooking, caregiving, and performing household tasks.
The report also spotlights efforts by women's organizations as a main channel by which clean cooking and clean household energy sources can expand and become more accessible.
This digest was curated by Gracie Leavitt. It was written and edited by Gracie Leavitt and Kirsten Krueger.
One goal at Climate, Gendered is to bring a spotlight to the reality that proliferating pollution, increasing temperatures, rising seas, extreme weather, habitat loss, and more can uniquely and disproportionately impact girls, women, and LGBTQ+ communities — especially individuals from communities of color, Indigenous people, disabled people, immigrants and displaced people, people experiencing poverty, and residents of low- and middle-income countries. We're also interested in the climate and environment crises and concerns that can disproportionately affect boys and men.
But there's a whole lot going on around the world, and this weekly brief isn't intended to be exhaustive but rather your chance to spend just a few moments on a handful of items — including the ideas that might make a difference.
This work cannot be done alone or in silos. We appreciate your feedback and observations. And please feel encouraged to share one way you noticed this week that climate and gender connect — and share CG with a friend.
"What will we do with pads if we don't have underwear?" Yogita Tamang asked AFP regarding a lack of period supplies in Nepal's relief camps. The U.N. has warned that risks of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and unmet reproductive health care needs have risen following last week's floods.
Have you heard of "clean air clubs"? Grassroots organizers are sharing this guide so communities can start their own and neighbors can help keep each other safe amid wildfires and pollution.
Hundreds of thousands of residents have been impacted by rotating 48-hour shutoffs, with some having waited hours in line to fill up on water amid severe drought conditions affecting large swaths of the U.S. territory.
"Historically, females have been underrepresented in thermoregulation research," postdoctoral fellow Hannah Blount told CG. Her work to address knowledge gaps around sweat patterns is set to prove even more critical as temperatures rise — and could even help girls stay safe and active in sports.
