No measure has yet been taken at Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj to prevent the transmission of Zika virus.
In spite of directives from the Health Ministry, the local health office has not yet formed any medical team to deal with the issue.
The lack of preventive measures has caused panic among locals living in the border areas.
Also, passengers arriving from India are entering the country without undergoing any health check-up.
More than a thousand people move through Sonamasjid immigration checkpost to enter or return from India every day and there is a risk that they could transmit Zika virus.
Sonamasjid immigration officials said no preventive measure had been taken as they had no equipment to subject the passengers to a medical check-up.
Sanjib Kumar Karmaker, Shibganj upazila health and family planning official, said no directive had been received from the civil surgeon’s office to form a medical team for detecting Zika virus among passengers departing for India or arriving in Bangladesh.
Civil Surgeon Dr Md Abul Kalam Azad said no Zika virus case had yet been detected in Bangladesh but a medical team at Sonamasjid land port would be formed soon.
The Sonamasjid immigration authorities have called on the government to take necessary steps, including forming a medical team and arranging health check-up of passengers, for checking the transmission of Zika virus.
