Community participation a must to fight arsenic
Awareness building at the community level is a must for preventing the effect of arsenic that passes through generations, speakers said at a seminar in the district town on Wednesday.
Resource persons from the USA and China joined the seminar titled 'Global Health, Arsenic Crisis and Reproductive Study' organised by Dhaka Community Hospital at Radhanagar Majumder Academy auditorium.
Prof David Christiani of Havard School of Public Health, USA, and Prof Donghui Zhang of School of Education of Nanjing Medical University, China, read out the key note papers at the seminar presided over by Prof Dr Kazi Kamruzzaman, chairman of Dhaka Community Hospital Trust.
Prof Feng Chen and Prof Qizhan Lui of Nanjing Medical University also spoke.
Arsenic is now a global crisis and its effect can pass through generations, speakers said at the seminar.
Dhaka Community Hospital along with Nanjing Medical University and Harvard School of Public Health runs an international collaborative project titled 'Metal Exposures and Adverse Birth Cohort Study,' funded by China Ministry of Science and Technology, said Golam Mostafa, project director of Dhaka Community Hospital and Trust.
“We have to develop effective methods to be accepted at the community levels. We believe voluntary participation from the society can play a crucial role to combat global arsenic problem,” Prof Kamruzzaman said.
“During the last 20 years, Dhaka Community Hospital has conducted several studies about the effects of arsenic contamination across the country. Pabna is one of the most vulnerable districts,” he added.
Principal of Pabna Medical College Dr Riazul Haque, Pabna Deputy Commissioner Jasim Uddin and Principal of Pabna Edward College Prof Dr Humayun Kabir aslo spoke at the seminar.
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