Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim on Saturday (Oct 28) launched Zero TB Cities Initiative to end tuberculosis (TB) in Bangladesh organised by USAID at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden hotel in the city.
Health Ministry and United States Agency for International Development -- USAID would jointly run the initiative, local media reports said.
Nasim lauded Bangladesh's successes in the health sector as Bangladesh has set an example for its remarkable achievements including reducing child and maternal mortality as well as attaining polio-free status.
This initiative is significant because Bangladesh has the seventh highest prevalence rate of TB in the world, and with more than 18 million people, Dhaka is one of the world's most densely populated cities, making it especially vulnerable to an outbreak.
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque, Secretary M Serajul Huq Khan, Additional Secretary Roxana Quader and US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat also spoke.
