Dengue situation a headache for govt
Dengue outbreak this year has turned out to be a headache for the government, Local Government and Rural Development Minister Tazul Islam said yesterday.
The minister also pointed out that the concern grew although the country has not experienced downpours for more than a month now.
"Compared to last year and 2020, this year it is a very bitter experience," he added.
About 300 new dengue cases were reported on Tuesday, which was not supposed to happen, said the minister.
He was addressing a dialogue at a city hotel organised by the Local Government Division, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) and Save the Children Bangladesh.
Mentioning the dengue outbreak this year has also been reported in the country's other parts compared to its previous concentration only in Dhaka, the minister urged public representatives, especially mayors and councillors of different cities, to come forward to tackle it.
City corporation mayors, councillors and officials, government service providers, and representatives from development partners participated in the dialogue, titled "City Leadership Summit to Strengthen Urban Public Health System".
It was part of the "Strengthening Urban Public Health System" programme implemented by Save the Children and South Asia Field Epidemiology and Technology Network, Inc (Safetynet) with funds from the US CDC.
Addressing the dialogue, US Ambassador Peter D Haas said as a good friend and partner to Bangladesh, the US government's public health agency US CDC has taken an initiative to strengthen public health in all 12 city corporations of Bangladesh.
"The US CDC has provided funding and support for the recruitment and training of one public health epidemiologist for each city corporation. Our partnership is evident in the successes we have had in battling the Covid-19 pandemic together," he said.
Chairing the event, Secretary of Local Government Division Muhammad Ibrahim urged development partners to come forward in strengthening the urban public health system in Bangladesh.
Arfanul Haque Rifat, mayor of Cumilla City Corporation, stressed a collective action plan to address the urban public health system.
Onno van Manen, country director of Save the Children in Bangladesh; and Susan Neely Kaydos-Daniels, country director of US CDC in Bangladesh, spoke at the dialogue among others.
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