MPH students of AIUB make educational field trip

The American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) recently organised an interactive educational field visit for its Master of Public Health (MPH) students to enhance their practical understanding of occupational health practices. Forty-five students visited three factories under Reedisha Industries Limited located in Gazipur—Reedisha Knitex, Reedisha Food and beverage, and Formula One Spinning—where they engaged with industry experts, explored workplace health and safety challenges, and asked about occupational hazards and their prevention.

The visit provided invaluable hands-on experience, culminating in preparing hazard analysis reports and showcasing AIUB's dedication to preparing skilled public health professionals to address real-world public health practice, which goes with AIUB's outcome-based curriculum. MPH students were pleasantly surprised that not even a single mosquito was sighted in all those industries visited.

This may be due to its cleanliness and all-covered drainage system with no water on the ground, which are unfavourable places for mosquito breeding besides spraying insecticides. Mosquito fogging is done only twice a week after all workers have left work in the evening, as frequent exposure to such chemicals can be deleterious to workers' health even if the pesticide concentration is less in the fogging.

The students expressed their gratitude to Reedisha Ltd.'s management for allowing them to visit their industries and learn from them. "Most industries have restrictions on students visiting their industries, which becomes a challenge for our students to learn from," remarked Dr Wasif Alam, Head of the Dept. of Public Health at AIUB.