Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammed Nasim yesterday launched Zero TB Cities Initiative to end tuberculosis (TB) in Bangladesh organised by USAID at a hotel in the capital yesterday, reports BSS. Health Ministry and United States Agency for International Development -USAID would jointly run the initiative.

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.

"Like other diseases, we can achieve similar successes in controlling TB," he added. Nasim urged all to work together to make Bangladesh free from the burden of tuberculosis (TB) as the country is still reeling from the disease.

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.