PM to launch 3-month special campaign to prevent dengue

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate a three-month special campaign to prevent dengue on September 12. The launch of the campaign will mark the beginning of a three-month cleanliness and public awareness programme.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called upon the people of the country to actively participate in the programme, considering the next three months as a high-risk period for tackling the dengue outbreak.

The Prime Minister gave directives on the matter at a meeting on dengue prevention held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday, September 8.

Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu provided the details. He said the Prime Minister told the meeting that instead of relying solely on mosquito control activities, special emphasis must be placed on cleanliness and public awareness. For this, local administration, volunteer organisations and students must be involved in coordinated field-level activities.

Under the programme, city corporations will coordinate activities in metropolitan areas, while deputy commissioners will do so at the district level. Upazila executive officers (UNOs) will be responsible for coordinating local-level activities at the upazila level.

The Deputy Press Secretary said the cleanliness and awareness campaign would involve volunteers from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, as well as Scouts, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC), Girl Guides, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society volunteers and school and college students.

He said volunteers and students will visit various houses and establishments every Saturday to take part in cleanliness drives. Emphasis will also be given to identifying potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes and raising awareness among people about keeping their homes and surroundings clean.

Hasan Shiplu said the Prime Minister has also directed extensive publicity through mass media and social media alongside field-level cleanliness drives. He specifically instructed concerned authorities to air public awareness messages on television and regularly highlight dengue prevention messages on social media.

The Prime Minister said the next three months are crucial for the dengue situation. Alongside government initiatives, active participation of the general public must be ensured during this time. People must be motivated to keep their homes, educational institutions, government and private establishments and surrounding areas clean regularly.

Among those present at the meeting were Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, Information and Broadcasting Minister Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, Health and Family Welfare State Minister Dr M A Muhit, Information State Minister Yasher Khan Chowdhury, Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Health Dr S M Ziauddin Haider, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, Prime Minister's Special Assistant Dr Shakirul Islam Khan, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam, Information Secretary Mahbuba Farzana, and senior officials from concerned ministries and departments.