Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque has attributed the rising prevalence of dengue and other vector-borne diseases to climate change.

He said this while addressing a round table discussion organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the theme ‘Launch of Asian Development Bank-led climate and health initiatives’.

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To mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change, Malek urged increased cooperation among developed countries and expanded support for developing nations, according to a press release of the ministry.

"The strong countries of the world cannot avoid responsibility for this climate change and its harmful effects. For this reason, the strong countries of the world should cooperate more to reduce the damage caused by climate change. Expand, enhance cooperation in lagging countries,” he said.

Malek highlighted the challenges faced by Bangladesh's health sector due to climate change, citing the proliferation of vector-borne diseases like dengue.

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“In addition to natural disasters, various vector-borne diseases are increasing due to climate change. Among them, the increase in Aedes mosquitoes is one of the reasons for the increase in dengue infection rates worldwide. As a result, we have to spend a lot to manage these diseases. Hospital beds are filled with dengue patients. As a result, on the one hand, costs are increasing, on the other hand, more dengue patients are admitted to the hospital, and other patients are deprived of normal services,” he said.

He also mentioned the establishment of a climate-friendly vaccine plant in Bangladesh with the support of the ADB. He urged other development partners to enhance technical and financial cooperation in building climate-resilient health systems.

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