Govt initiatives must be backed by active public participation: PM

PM to launch three-month dengue prevention campaign

A three-month special cleanliness and public awareness campaign to prevent dengue will begin on September 12 (Saturday), inaugurated by Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman. Considering the coming three months as a high-risk period for tackling the dengue outbreak, the Prime Minister has called on the people of the country to actively participate in this campaign.

Mr. Tarique Rahman gave this directive at a meeting held on Tuesday (September 8) at the Bangladesh Secretariat regarding measures to be taken to prevent dengue.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister said that instead of relying solely on mosquito-eradication activities to control dengue, special emphasis must be placed on cleanliness and public awareness. For this, he said, local administration, voluntary organizations, and students must be involved to carry out coordinated field-level activities.

Under the campaign, the relevant city corporations will coordinate activities in metropolitan areas, while deputy commissioners will coordinate at the district level. At the upazila level, Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) will be responsible for coordinating local-level activities.

Volunteers from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, along with Scouts, the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC), Girl Guides, volunteers from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, and school and college students will be involved in this cleanliness and awareness campaign.

Every Saturday, volunteers and students will visit various homes and establishments to take part in cleanliness activities. At the same time, emphasis will be placed on identifying locations where breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito — the carrier of dengue — could form, and on raising public awareness about keeping homes and surroundings clean.

Alongside the field-level cleanliness campaign, the Prime Minister has directed extensive publicity through mass media and social media. He specifically instructed those concerned to regularly highlight public awareness messages about dengue prevention on television and social media.

The Prime Minister said the coming three months are critical for the dengue situation. During this period, alongside government initiatives, active participation from the general public must be ensured. People must be encouraged to regularly keep homes, educational institutions, government and private establishments, and surrounding areas clean.

The meeting was attended by Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mr. Asadul Habib Dulu, Information and Broadcasting Minister Mr. Andaleeve Rahman Partho, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mr. Mir Shahe Alam, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. M.A. Muhit, State Minister for Information Mr. Yasser Khan Chowdhury, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Health Dr. S.M. Ziauddin Haider, Cabinet Secretary Mr. Nasimul Gani, the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Mr. A.B.M. Abdus Sattar, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Dr. Shakirul Islam Khan, Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation Mr. Abdus Salam, Information Secretary Ms. Mahbuba Farzana, along with senior officials from the relevant ministries and departments.