Rajshahi deputy commissioner calls for collective effort to prevent dengue
Photo: Collected
Stagnant water and an unclean environment are what give Aedes mosquitoes the opportunity to breed. Therefore, Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam has called on everyone to come forward to destroy potential breeding grounds, alongside keeping homes and surroundings clean, in order to prevent dengue.
He said preventing a disease beforehand is more important than treatment after it has occurred. For this, everyone has to work together to destroy the breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes and raise public awareness.
The deputy commissioner said this to journalists on Saturday morning while taking part in a cleanliness activity organised at Rajshahi Jute Mill in the Katakhali municipality area of Paba upazila in Rajshahi, as part of the three-month special programme of the nationwide national dengue prevention and cleanliness drive.
Highlighting the importance of cleanliness in preventing mosquito-borne diseases, he said, ‘Cleanliness is a part of faith. So, to stop the spread of dengue, we have to keep our own homes and the surrounding environment neat and clean. In particular, stagnant water has to be removed and mosquito breeding grounds have to be destroyed.’
The deputy commissioner said that, in continuation of the three-month dengue eradication and cleanliness drive launched by the prime minister, regular cleanliness drives are being conducted simultaneously at 78 spots in the district’s 9 upazilas every Saturday. These activities are being carried out in coordination with the district’s government officials, development partners, the Red Crescent Society, voluntary organisations, students, teachers and guardians.
He further said, ‘The core strength of health policy is this – prevention is better than cure. We want the disease to be stopped before it occurs. For this, everyone has to work in unison to prevent all mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue.’
According to the deputy commissioner, it is possible to build a clean environment through the combined efforts of government and private institutions, teachers and students, which will ensure a healthy and safe society for future generations. In this drive organised in front of Katakhali municipality, he took part in the cleaning work with a sickle and a fogger machine in his own hands.
Under the leadership of the deputy commissioner, the work of identifying and destroying potential breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitoes, removing stagnant water and cleaning the surrounding environment was carried out. Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Sabur Ali, Senior Assistant Commissioner Abhijit Sarkar, Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Katakhali municipality Administrator Mohammad Mehedi Hasan, Nezarat Deputy Collector Arif Hossain, municipality Executive Officer Sirajum Munira and officials and employees of Katakhali municipality took part in the programme.
