Dengue prevention campaign in Bangladesh

In early September 2026, the Bangladeshi government announced a three-month special cleanliness and public awareness campaign to combat the spread of dengue. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman outlined a strategy to address concerns that infection rates might peak in late September or early October. The plan included coordinated field activities involving local administrations, city corporations, and various volunteer organizations such as the Scouts and the Red Crescent. Medical measures were also established, including the creation of dengue corners in hospitals and mandates for private facilities to provide free treatment for a portion of their beds.

On September 12, the ‘Dengue Prevention and Cleanliness Campaign-2026’ was officially launched at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka. The nationwide initiative, scheduled to run until December 12, is a joint effort between the Local Government Ministry and the Dhaka North and South City Corporations. The launch involved approximately 25,000 participants, including students, Scouts, Red Crescent members, and city corporation cleaners.

The campaign aims to destroy Aedes mosquito breeding grounds through coordinated efforts across city, divisional, district, and upazila levels. While city corporations lead in metropolitan areas, deputy commissioners and upazila UNOs are tasked with overseeing operations in other regions. During the inauguration, the Prime Minister called for collective civic responsibility, urging citizens to dedicate at least one hour per week to cleanliness to help control the disease prevalence.