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Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain
Health Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain voiced deep concern over the surging nationwide outbreak of dengue, urging citizens across Bangladesh to maintain clean surroundings around their homes to destroy Aedes mosquito habitats. He emphasized that stagnant water must be routinely cleared from courtyards, flower tubs, discarded tires, and other containers, calling on the public to declare a collective war against dengue. He made these remarks on Saturday afternoon (September 12) at a free medical camp held at the Paragaon Eidgah ground in Rupganj Upazila of Narayanganj to mark the 48th founding anniversary of the BNP, organized by the Rupganj Upazila BNP with technical support from the Rupganj Private Hospital, Clinic, and Diagnostic Association.
Highlighting the severity of the viral outbreak, Hossain noted that the Prime Minister formally launched a nationwide cleanup campaign at the South Plaza of the National Parliament on Saturday. However, the minister insisted that anti-vector measures cannot remain confined to state apparatuses alone, emphasizing that individual civic responsibility is vital to stemming transmission. Drawing historical parallels, he noted that just as the nation resisted Pakistani forces in 1971 to attain independence and ousted an authoritarian regime in 2024, the citizenry must unite once more to wage a relentless sanitation and hygiene campaign against dengue.
Hossain reiterated Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s commitment to ensuring universal healthcare and detailed ongoing public health recoveries, noting that past administrative lapses had depleted vital child vaccine stocks, leading to severe outbreaks of measles and pneumonia among undernourished children. Since assuming office, the administration has successfully administered measles vaccines to 20 million children, with a comprehensive nationwide immunization drive scheduled to launch on September 26 to inoculate all children up to six years of age. He called on political activists and civic groups to actively facilitate the upcoming immunization drive.
