| Tayub Chowdhury, Chittagong : Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian has stepped up dengue prevention efforts across the district, personally joining mosquito control and cleanliness drives in several upazilas to curb the spread of the disease.
After similar campaigns in Sitakunda and Karnaphuli, he joined a special drive in Hathazari on Saturday, where mosquito control and cleanliness operations were carried out at 15 identified hotspots across the municipality and 14 unions.
Organised by the upazila administration and municipality, the programme began with an awareness rally. The DC later operated a fogging machine and applied larvicide as part of the mosquito control drive.
On September 26, Zahidul inaugurated a seven-day dengue prevention campaign in Sitakunda, targeting seven high-risk areas. The administration procured 16 fogging machines and insecticides for the drive, which also included drain-cleaning operations.
He subsequently joined another campaign in Karnaphuli on October 3, where an awareness rally from Sainyartek to Bridgeghat was followed by mosquito control operations at Charpatharghata Union Parishad. The drive covered 10 identified hotspots.
According to the district administration, a districtwide cleanliness campaign has been underway since July 25 under the slogan "Clean Cities and Villages, Build a Beautiful Chattogram".
Around 6,200 officials and employees took part in the opening day`s activities, removing approximately 135 tonnes of waste from government offices and public premises.
The campaign was later extended to around 1,200 educational institutions, water bodies and other public spaces.
A three-month dengue prevention programme was also launched on September 12 following directives from the prime minister. As part of the initiative, cleanliness drives were conducted at nearly 2,000 mosques and their surrounding premises.
The administration said dedicated beds had been allocated and diagnostic kits supplied to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, Chattogram General Hospital and upazila health facilities to strengthen dengue treatment services.
Speaking in Hathazari, Zahidul said the dengue situation had improved considerably since September, when infections and deaths had caused widespread concern.
He credited coordinated efforts by government agencies, political leaders, social organisations and local communities for the improvement.
At an earlier programme in Karnaphuli, the DC said Chattogram had recorded 21 dengue-related deaths in September, with Sitakunda and Karnaphuli among the worst-affected areas.
He also said no dengue-related deaths had been reported in Sitakunda in the week following the special prevention drive.
"We do not want to lose a single life this way. We do not want another light to go out," Zahidul said, stressing the importance of protecting every life.
He said dengue outbreaks could not be tackled by any single individual or institution and called for sustained community participation in mosquito control and cleanliness efforts.
The DC also emphasised the need to safeguard public health and the environment, while encouraging young people and social organisations to take a more active role in prevention campaigns.
He urged journalists to highlight constructive community initiatives alongside reports on social problems.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Sharif Uddin, Hathazari Upazila Nirbahi Officer and municipal administrator Muhammad Abdullah Al Mumin, and other officials attended the programme.
Local political leaders and representatives of social organisations were also present.
Zahidul expressed hope that sustained efforts would bring dengue transmission in the district down to zero before the three-month campaign ends.
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