Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday directed authorities concerned to step up cleanliness campaigns and dengue awareness programmes across the country, with active participation from the public, to contain the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.
He issued the directives at a meeting on the country’s dengue situation and measures to prevent the disease at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
The prime minister stressed that dengue prevention cannot depend solely on government agencies and called for greater involvement of local communities.
He urged authorities to raise awareness about maintaining clean homes and surrounding areas, disposing of waste properly, removing stagnant water and destroying potential mosquito breeding sites.
Tarique Rahman also instructed the authorities to engage disaster management volunteers, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC), Rover Scouts and Red Crescent volunteers in cleanliness campaigns and public awareness activities.
He called for organising such drives at the grassroots level by mobilising people through these volunteer groups.
The meeting also reviewed measures to improve treatment services and patient-management capacity for dengue at upazila-level hospitals.
Officials also discussed providing mosquito nets to dengue patients admitted to hospitals to minimise the risk of transmission through mosquitoes that bite infected patients and subsequently spread the virus.
The prime minister stressed that decisions taken at the meeting must be implemented effectively.
“The decisions must be reflected in the field,” he said.
Emphasising prevention as the most effective way to tackle dengue, Tarique Rahman called for coordinated action by the relevant authorities and wider awareness campaigns to encourage people to take part in cleanliness activities.
Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health Dr SM Ziauddin Hyder, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Shakirul Islam Khan, and secretaries and senior officials of the relevant ministries and divisions attended the meeting.
