The government is set to launch a three-month nationwide cleanliness and public awareness campaign on Saturday to prevent dengue, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman scheduled to inaugurate the programme.
The campaign comes as the government considers the next three months a high-risk period for dengue.
Tarique has urged people to actively participate in the drive alongside government efforts to contain the disease.
He issued the directives at a meeting on dengue prevention at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday.
The prime minister said dengue control should not depend solely on mosquito-control measures, stressing the need for greater focus on cleanliness and public awareness.
He called for coordinated field-level efforts involving local administrations, volunteer organisations and students.
Under the programme, city corporations will coordinate activities in metropolitan areas, while deputy commissioners will oversee the campaign at the district level. Upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) will coordinate activities at the upazila level.
Volunteers from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Scouts, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC), Girl Guides and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, along with school and college students, will take part in the campaign.
Every Saturday, volunteers and students will visit homes and other establishments to conduct cleanliness drives and identify potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, the vector that transmits dengue.
They will also raise awareness among residents about keeping their homes and surrounding areas clean.
Alongside the field campaign, the prime minister directed the authorities to step up dengue-related publicity through television, other mass media and social media.
He called for regular dissemination of dengue prevention messages on social media and urged the authorities to encourage people to maintain cleanliness in homes, educational institutions, government and private establishments, and surrounding areas.
“The next three months are extremely important for the dengue situation,” Tarique said, stressing that government initiatives must be backed by active public participation.
Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, Information and Broadcasting Minister Andaleeve Rahman, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhith, State Minister for Information Yasser Khan Choudhury, the prime minister’s Special Assistant for Health Affairs SM Ziauddin Haider, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shakirul Islam Khan, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam, Information Secretary Mahbuba Farzana and senior officials from the relevant ministries and divisions attended the meeting.
