PM Orders Intensified Cleanliness Drives to Prevent Dengue

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed authorities to intensify cleanliness and public awareness campaigns across the country, with greater public participation, to prevent the spread of dengue.

The directive was issued at a meeting on the dengue situation and measures to contain the disease at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday.

At the meeting, the prime minister stressed that dengue prevention should not depend solely on government agencies. He called for stronger public involvement in keeping homes and their surroundings clean, removing stagnant water, clearing garbage and waste, and preventing the creation of mosquito breeding grounds.

Rahman also directed authorities to involve disaster management volunteers, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC), Rover Scouts and Red Crescent personnel in cleanliness and awareness campaigns. He said local-level drives should be carried out by engaging communities through these groups.

The meeting also focused on strengthening treatment facilities and patient-management capacity for dengue cases at upazila-level hospitals. Officials discussed providing mosquito nets to hospitalized dengue patients to reduce the risk of transmission through mosquitoes that bite infected individuals.

Emphasizing the need for effective implementation, the prime minister said, “There must be visible results on the ground.”

Rahman stressed that prevention must remain the top priority in combating dengue and called on relevant authorities to work in close coordination. He also urged them to undertake extensive awareness campaigns to encourage greater public participation in cleanliness activities.

Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan, State Minister Mir Shah Alam, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare MA Muhit, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health SM Ziauddin Haider, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Shakirul Islam Khan, and secretaries of the relevant ministries and divisions, among other senior officials, attended the meeting.