PM Set to Kick Off Countrywide Dengue Prevention Campaign

Bangla Press Desk:  Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the “Nationwide Dengue Prevention and Cleanliness Campaign 2026” on September 12 to further strengthen cleanliness activities aimed at preventing dengue.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam said this at a press conference held at the Secretariat on Wednesday, adding that the Prime Minister will inaugurate the campaign from the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad on September 12 at 9:00 am.

He said the three-month campaign, from September 12 to December 12, will be conducted as dengue prevalence typically peaks in September, October and November, when the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes increases.

Stakeholders from all 64 districts and 503 upazilas of the country will join the event through videoconferencing, he said.

Therefore, alongside medical treatment, the utmost importance is being placed on disease prevention and the destruction of Aedes mosquito breeding grounds to contain dengue outbreaks, he said.

Shahe Alam said the Prime Minister recently presided over a meeting on dengue prevention and necessary measures.

Ministers, secretaries and additional secretaries from various ministries, as well as directors-general of relevant departments, attended the meeting, he said.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister directed that greater emphasis must be placed on prevention rather than just treatment of dengue patients, he said.

Specific instructions were given to focus on preventing the breeding of Aedes mosquito larvae and maintaining clean surroundings, he said.

He said 137 people have died from dengue across the country as of September 7 this year. During this period, around 2,700 to 2,800 patients were hospitalised, received treatment or are currently undergoing treatment, he said.

Through this programme, he said, cleanliness drives will be conducted at the city, upazila, union and municipality levels, alongside the destruction of Aedes mosquito breeding grounds.

The state minister said Scouts, BNCC, disaster management volunteers, students and volunteers from educational institutions, the Red Crescent, Rovers, BD Clean and sanitation workers from the two city corporations will participate in the programme.

He said the initiative will be carried out simultaneously across the country through the administrations of 64 districts and, at the upazila level, through Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) and Upazila Parishads.

Shahe Alam said arrangements will be made to broadcast the Prime Minister’s inaugural address live at both district and upazila levels.

Following this, volunteers and government officials in the respective areas will take part in the cleanliness activities, he said.

He said coordinated efforts will be made to ensure the success of the programme across the country, including in Dhaka.

Relevant institutions, including Dhaka’s two city corporations, the Local Government Division, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, BNCC, the Red Crescent and the Scouts, have been involved in the initiative, he said.

The state minister said the national-level committee is led by the Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation, Freedom Fighter Abdus Salam, as Convener, and the Administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, Shafiqul Islam Milton, as Joint Convener.

The committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Cabinet Division, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, as well as the Director General of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, the Director General of BNCC, the Secretary General of the Red Crescent, the Executive Director of the Scouts, and the chief engineers, chief health officers, waste management officers and chief executive officers of both city corporations.

Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary A B M Abdus Sattar has been appointed as the committee’s adviser.

Shahe Alam said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Press Information Department would play a crucial role in raising public awareness about dengue prevention.

An extensive publicity campaign will be conducted at the national, district and field levels, while videos produced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the prevention of dengue and Aedes mosquitoes are already being shown two to three times an hour on electronic billboards installed in different city corporations, he said.

He added that for the weekly Saturday cleanliness drives, local administrations and educational institutions would coordinate to select specific locations.

These locations may include drains, areas with stagnant water, ponds choked with water hyacinths, canals, playgrounds, residential areas and busy traffic zones, he said.

Shahe Alam said priority would be given to cleaning sites that are potential breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes.

He said the Ministry of Education plays a vital role in the programme. Every Saturday, students and teachers from colleges, high schools and madrasas across the country will participate in cleanliness drives in their respective areas, he said.

The state minister said the national committee would hold a meeting the following day to ensure the smooth implementation of the programme.

Detailed plans for implementing the nationwide campaign, distributing responsibilities and ensuring coordination will be formulated during the meeting, he said.

He said that alongside ensuring medical care for dengue patients, the government is working in a coordinated manner to destroy mosquito breeding grounds, conduct cleanliness drives and raise public awareness.

To achieve this, public representatives, students, teachers, volunteers, various social organisations and the general public must work together with the government, he said.