Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian has intensified dengue prevention efforts across the district, personally joining mosquito eradication and cleanliness drives in several upazilas to curb the spread of the disease.
After participating in special campaigns in Sitakunda and Karnaphuli, the deputy commissioner joined a similar initiative in Hathazari on Saturday.
He not only supervised field operations but also personally sprayed insecticides to kill adult mosquitoes, while urging local administrations, social organisations and residents to work together to prevent dengue.
On Saturday, simultaneous mosquito eradication and cleanliness drives were conducted in 15 identified high-risk areas across Hathazari Municipality and the upazila’s 14 unions.
Following an awareness rally organised by the upazila administration and the municipality, Zahidul operated a fogger machine to spray insecticides.
Larvicides were also applied to destroy Aedes mosquito larvae, which spread dengue.
Earlier, on 26 September, the deputy commissioner inaugurated a seven-day special dengue prevention campaign in Sitakunda, covering the municipality and union areas, with seven high-risk locations prioritised.
Sixteen fogger machines and the necessary insecticides were arranged for the campaign.
He also participated in mosquito eradication and drain-cleaning activities.
On 3 October, he joined a dengue prevention campaign in Karnaphuli upazila.
Following an awareness rally from Soinyartek to Bridgeghat, he inaugurated mosquito eradication activities in the Charpatharghata Union Parishad area.
Special operations were conducted in 10 identified high-risk locations across the upazila.
According to the district administration, a district-wide cleanliness campaign has been underway since 25 July under the slogan, “Let us clean our cities and villages; let us build an aesthetic Chattogram.”
Around 6,200 officials and employees took part in the initiative on its first day, removing approximately 135 tonnes of waste from government offices and installations.
Subsequent drives covered around 1,200 educational institutions, water bodies and other important locations across the district.
A separate three-month dengue prevention programme was launched on 12 September under the Prime Minister’s directive.
The initiative also included cleaning operations at around 2,000 mosques and their premises throughout the district.
The administration has also taken steps to ensure the availability of designated hospital beds and dengue testing kits at Chattogram Medical College Hospital, Chattogram General Hospital and upazila-level hospitals.
Speaking at the Hathazari programme, Zahidul said the panic over dengue in Chattogram had eased considerably in October compared with September, while deaths from the disease had also declined.
At an earlier programme in Karnaphuli, he said 21 people had died of dengue in the district up to September.
Sitakunda and Karnaphuli had recorded comparatively high infection rates.
However, he noted that no dengue-related deaths had been reported in Sitakunda for a week following the special prevention campaign there.
Emphasising the importance of preventing further fatalities, Zahidul said, “We do not want to lose a single life or see a single light extinguished in this manner. These lights will illuminate our path and one day take us to the global stage.”
He stressed that dengue could not be tackled by any individual or institution acting alone.
Political leaders, social organisations and the public must work alongside the administration to make prevention efforts effective.
Referring to the goal of building a safe and humane state, he said safety must be ensured in every sphere, including public health, people’s thinking and the environment, rather than focusing on only one aspect.
The deputy commissioner also expressed satisfaction with young people’s participation in the campaigns and urged the media to highlight positive initiatives alongside negative developments in society.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Sharif Uddin, Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Municipal Administrator Muhammad Abdullah Al Mumin, the assistant commissioner (land), the upazila health and family planning officer, and officials from various government departments attended the Hathazari programme.
Local political leaders and representatives of social organisations also took part.
The deputy commissioner credited collective cooperation for the significant improvement in the district’s dengue situation.
He expressed hope that continued prevention activities would help reduce infections to zero before the end of the planned three-month campaign.
