In the period since COVID-19 struck, the world has found itself facing a multitude of new challenges that are testing the resilience of businesses and their people - particularly as most of these risks have noticeably increased over the past year.

Dr Chris van Straten, Global Health Advisor Clinical Governance at International SOS points out that the increasing impacts of climate change, in the form of extreme weather events, are already being felt in Africa and globally.

Data shows that more severe weather events are increasing the risks to workers travelling on the continent. As per Carbon Brief, an analysis of disaster records in 2022 found that extreme weather events in Africa killed at least 4,000 people and affected a further 19 million.

“Extreme events pose risks to business travellers and international assignees, who may not have the same understanding of the unique geography, weather systems and emergency response procedures as the local workforce. For example, heatwaves, storms, and floods can cause infrastructure outages, damage transport networks, and increase the prevalence of certain infectious and non-infectious diseases.

“However, the biggest challenge created by changes in the global climatic profile is that it also alters the disease map. Higher average temperatures and increased rainfall or humidity will also extend the spread of some vector-borne diseases into new areas. Bacterial food and water-borne gastrointestinal infections - such as vibrio cholera  - are also on the increase, while there is emerging evidence linking rising temperatures to kidney disease,” adds Dr van Straten.

“As the disease map shifts, Africa in particular, has witnessed an increase in infectious diseases such as malaria, cholera and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). A topic that was also highlighted at COP28 in December where they held the first-ever Health Day – with the conversation focusing on how climate change relating to extreme heat, air pollution and the spread of vector-borne diseases, is affecting health in countries that have never experienced them before.”

The evidence of this is being seen and felt globally. A sobering example is the recent cholera outbreak, accounting for over 667,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths globally last year. The Eastern and southern African nations are among the worst affected, accounting for about 75% of the fatalities and a third of the cases as of 15 January 2024. As per the WHO, “extreme climate events like floods, cyclones and droughts reduce access to clean water and create an ideal environment for cholera to thrive.”

African businesses need to adjust and start anticipating, assessing, and adapting –to ensure that the appropriate support systems are in place for employees and operations to be resilient to threats such as extreme weather events.

The recent International SOS Risk Outlook report for 2024 confirms that climate change is perceived as a top risk for organisations. 76% of primary decision makers surveyed believe that extreme weather events will have a significant impact on their business and their workforce.

“However, it is concerning that too many organisations are not prepared to mitigate those risks. Half of the respondents report that they have already seen their operations affected by climate related events. The same percentage also states that they have not factored it into their health and security plans. This is in spite of the rising trend in the climate-related alerts issued by International SOS,”  Dr van Straten says.

“Compared to 2022, in terms of the alerts issued to our clients, there were 80% and 30% more medical and security climate-related alerts respectively last year, and a four-fold increase in climate-related special advisories.

“Creating resilience will require businesses to have access to reliable hazard monitoring tools and processes, and robust risk reduction and response mechanisms, in order to identify and mitigate climate-related crises. Organisations that have risk management systems in place in this new environment are proven to be more resilient.”

“With having over 123 countries signing the declaration on Climate and Health, everyone needs to collectively be proactive and take the necessary steps to mitigate future risks. At International SOS, we are committed to raising awareness around climate change and health, adding the ‘H’ to ESG as the catalyst of the positive changes we want to see.  Being proactive regarding risk management is ultimately key to mitigating the rising challenges of climate change and infectious diseases across the African continent,” concludes Dr van Straten.