Health Minister and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim moved the Bill in the House, and was passed viva voce.
Besides managing emergencies, the bill also covers the prevention of these communicable diseases and directs steps to create mass awareness on germs related to diseases like Kala-Zar, HIV, Influenza, Nipah, Ebola, and Typhoid.
The bill was framed in Bangla merging four existing laws – the Epidemic Disease Act 1897, the Public Health (Emergency Provisions) Ordinance 1944, the Bangladesh Malaria Eradication Board (Repeal) Ordinance, 1977' and the 'Prevention of Malaria (Special Provisions) Ordinance, 1978. All the existing four laws stand to be repealed, with the passage of the new bill.
The bill was placed in Parliament on September 17, widening the scope of its jurisdiction beyond malaria to cover all the diseases.