BEN Seminar and Community Forum on Dengue in Bangladesh: Causes and Remedies  Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) Australia Chapter held a technical seminar and a public forum on Dengue in Bangladesh – its causes and remedies. It was held on the 19th of October 2019 at the Toongabbie Anglican Church Hall in Toongabbie, Sydney, Australia. The very first session began with Acknowledgement to the Traditional Owners of the Country and the martyrs of the freedom and language movements of Bangladesh. This was followed by the national anthems of Australia and Bangladesh. This session was Chaired by Dr Mamta Chowdhury - a BEN member and a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Western Sydney University. Two MCs – Ms Naziza Fatemi, an environmental graduate/scientist and Ms Shuravi Paul, a health scientist in Sydney – both always kept the audience connected. In this session a welcome presentation was given by Dr Mamta Chowdhury on highlights of the activities of BEN Australia. Mr Khandker Masudul Alam, Consul General, Consulate General of Bangladesh in Sydney provided an overview presentation on the status and the Government’s action in response to Dengue outbreak in this year. He was accompanied by the Consul Md Kamruzzaman. The second session contained technical presentations on Epidemiology and Public Health. It was Chaired by Sydney’s renowned Neurologist Dr Sharf-ud-dowla. Dr Cameron Webb from the Department of Medical Entomology, Westmead Hospital and University of Sydney; Dr Krishna Hort, Senior Consultant, Health Systems, Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne; and Dr Kishore Paul, ICDDRB – Bangladesh, PhD scholar at the Kirby Institute, UNSW have spoken on epidemiology and public health aspects of Dengue in Bangladesh and East- & South-East Asia. The third session was also a technical session where Dr Cameron Webb and BEN Organiser in Sydney Dr Swapan Paul gave presentations on remedial measures, including clinical, environmental and social issues associated with the outbreak as well as remedies. This session was Chaired by Dr Debashish Mazumder, a renowned scientist in Australia, an Australian Eureka Prize Winner for Scientific Contributions in 2019 and a BEN Member. At the beginning of this session Master Ishan Tariq, a Year-8 student in Sydney, who happened to be in Dhaka in August this year, had been infested with Dengue - narrated his ordeal of survival. His bravery was commendable! The Final session involved a community forum where scientists, practitioners and the community in general have participated. This session was Chaired by Dr Ratan Lal Kundu, a medical scientist in Sydney and WHO Regional Coordinator for Contagious Diseases. In this session discussions were held and a set of recommendations were drafted. These recommendations will be reviewed and forwarded to the High Commission of Bangladesh for their considerations and necessary actions. The recommendations generally emphasise on the following:
The day’s program ended by giving vote of thanks by Dr Swapan Paul, as the main organiser of the Seminar and Public Forum, to the speakers, MCs, participants and those who helped in promoting the event.
2.00pm Media Contacts: Dr Swapan Paul, swapanil@yahoo.com/0433019377 |
Share on Facebook 
Home Page Published on: 30-Oct-2019 
