Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has issued ten-point guidelines for its members to follow strictly to prevent the spread of dengue and chikungunya.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan requested all the owners, employees, workers of garment factories and their family members to “clean their households for 10 minutes at 10 every Saturday” to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne diseases. 

Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Md. Atiqul Islam has requested the city dwellers to undertake cleaning of their own households every Saturday.

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BGMEA has expressed solidarity with the program announced by the mayor.

The BGMEA president said dengue virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquito which can easily breed in stagnant water.

"So pay attention to the breeding grounds of Aedes mosquitos as they will not able to breed if water does not get stagnated," he said.

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Others measures as suggested by the BGMEA chief are - make sure that water does not remain stagnant in basement water tanks of factory buildings, containers in under-construction buildings, drums, buckets, plant pots, abandoned tyres for three consecutive days; and ensure that water is not left to accumulate on rooftops, open courtyards and empty spaces between two buildings.

He also suggested cleaning up open areas in and around factory buildings, bushes around factories and raising awareness among workers about symptoms of the viral diseases.

Experts have expressed concern that the dengue outbreak could take a severe turn during this rainy reason if precautionary measures are not taken properly, said the BGMEA.