Unregulated cattle fattening ahead of Eid threatens public health
With Eid-ul-Azha approaching, a disturbing trend of unregulated cattle fattening has emerged across the country, raising serious public health concerns...
Tags : Public health
Immunisation failures may weigh down public health
THE current state of immunisation in Bangladesh, which, introduced in 1979, has failed to achieve a full coverage as yet, is worrying. The UN Children鈥檚 Fund, the World Health Organisation, and the vaccine alliance Gavi have said that about half a million children continue to miss out on full immunisation; about 400,000 of them are under-immunised. At the same time, 70,000...
Combating disinformation
IN THE digital age, disinformation has emerged as a major challenge, affecting politics, public health, and social stability worldwide. Disinformation refers to deliberate falsehoods spread to mislead or manipulate people for political, economic, or ideological gain. Unlike misinformation, which is unintentionally incorrect, disinformation is crafted with intent and is often...
Indiscriminate dumping of medical waste must end
UNABATED medical waste dumping on roads, bins, drains, water bodies and open spaces in the capital and elsewhere has raised serious public health and environmental concern. The hazardous substances in medical waste include pathological and infectious materials, such as sharp needles and toxic chemicals. In hospitals, various therapeutic procedures, such as cobalt...
CPA calls for beating waterlogging, plastic pollution
The Chittagong Port Authority on Tuesday urged the city dwellers to beat waterlogging and plastic pollution for securing public health...
TOBACCO CONTROL REFORM: Legal challenges and progress
THE rate of tobacco use in Bangladesh is alarmingly high, posing significant challenges to public health, the economy and the environment. According to the World Health Organisation, tobacco-related diseases are responsible for eight million deaths annually, with 1.3 million of these attributed to passive smoking. In Bangladesh, 35.3 per cent of adults use tobacco, with...
AIUB holds educational field trip for MPH students
The American International University-Bangladesh has recently organised an interactive educational field visit for its master鈥檚 of public health students to enhance their practical understanding of occupational health practices, said a press release on Tuesday...
Stop misuse of allocations for water: discussion
Public health experts and rights activists at a discussion in Dhaka on Wednesday urged the authorities concern to stop misuse of public money allocated for water rights...
Campaigners seek free healthcare
The Health Sector Reform Commission in 50 days of its formation is still gathering information and opinions on several focal areas such as service improvement while public health campaigners and medical practitioners demand free healthcare at all public health facilities...
Tobacco tax increase demanded to protect public health
Public health campaigners, researchers and activists at a dialogue on Tuesday demanded increased taxes on tobacco to increase revenue and protect public health....
Public engagement stressed to prevent dengue
Entomologists and public health experts on Sunday said that there was no alternative to public engagement in preventing dengue which had been taking heavy toll on people...
Environmental approach to promoting health
I RECENTLY worked with some online interns who are studying public health at a Bangladeshi university. Many of them had taken a course on health promotion. When the topic of health promotion came up, they talked about different ways of educating people to lead healthier lives...
Integrated mosquito management stressed for containing dengue
An integrated mosquito management was emphasised to prevent dengue fever that has created a huge public health concern in Bangladesh over the years...
Govt urged to ensure vitamin fortified edible oil
Public health campaigners and researchers at a discussion on Wednesday urged the government to ensure fortification of vitamin A with the edible oil according to the law...
Role of youth in fight against air pollution
AMID the lingering haze over Bangladesh鈥檚 cities, air pollution has become an escalating public health crisis. From brick kilns to traffic congestion, harmful pollutants seep into every aspect of urban life, making this not just a climate issue but a matter of human survival. These fine particulate matters 鈥� dust, soot, and smoke 鈥� can penetrate the lungs...
Addiction crisis: saving the youth
DRUG addiction has emerged as one of the most critical public health and social issues in Bangladesh, particularly among the younger population. The increasing accessibility and use of harmful substances such as yaba, phenedyl and heroin have led to a widespread crisis, threatening not only individuals but the future of the entire nation. The youth, who...
Breaking the silence: Addressing mental health crisis
MENTAL health, often overlooked, is a serious public health concern in Bangladesh. Inadequate access to mental health care in the country, limited awareness and deep-rooted stigma hinder effective management and treatment. The Covid pandemic had a profound impact on mental health. Like many post-pandemic countries, mental health problems have increased in Bangladesh...
Sugar-sweetened beverage taxation
CONSUMPTION of sugar-sweetened beverages, such as regular soda, fruit drinks, sports and energy drinks, sweetened waters, pop, cola, tonic fruit punch, lemonade, sweetened powdered drinks, and coffee and tea beverages with added sugars, is a major public health problem globally...
Holidaymakers mustn鈥檛 ignore dengue menace
THE dengue menace is lurking around the corner. Since January, at least 39 people have died of dengue and 3,150 people have been affected by this dengue fever. During festivals, as the prices of all essentials increase, so does the suffering. The threat of infectious diseases to public health increases too...
Failure to keep unapproved drinks off market unacceptable
THIS is unacceptable that the authorities have not yet been able to make producers withdraw unauthorised electrolyte drinks even after a court order to this end. The authorities first failed to take action on their own against the unauthorised production, marketing and sales of electrolyte drinks...
Mismanagement in public health system proves fatal yet again
MISMANAGEMENT and corruption in the public health system proved fatal again as a cardiac patient died while being stuck inside a malfunctioning lift at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital in Gazipur on May 13. The attendants of the...
Special public fund for cancer prevention, treatment sought
Public health activists and physicians at a conference on Friday urged the government to create a special fund for cancer prevention and treatment to help poor people to fight the disease...
Timely demand for a health promotion authority
PUBLIC health policies are designed more for health services delivery, especially in the management of non-communicable diseases, than for health protection and prevention. Experts, therefore, at a workshop that research and advocacy organisation PROGGA...
Unilever, GAIN launch project to improve public health
Unilever Bangladesh and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition are collaborating on a pilot project, aimed at enhancing the environmental sustainability and public health of Bangladesh鈥檚 urban areas, titled 鈥楩or People and Planet: Resilient, Healthy and Sustainable Food and Environment Systems.鈥�...
Collective efforts stressed to address dengue threat
Public health experts, at a dialogue on Tuesday, asked for collective efforts of all stakeholders, including government, non-government agencies and citizens to combat dengue threat in the forthcoming rainy season...
AIUB, BCB hold workshop on heat illness management
The Department of Public Health of the American International University-Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Cricket Board jointly organised a workshop titled...
Better response plan is must for severe heatwaves
IN RECENT years, extreme weather events such as severe heatwaves or unusually cold winters have become a common feature of Bangladesh鈥檚 climate, yet the government appears unprepared to tackle the...