Vitamin A plus campaign Saturday

The government like every year is going to observe the national Vitamin A plus campaign across the country tomorrow, reports BSS.

Around 2.25 crore children aged between six months and five years, will be fed Vitamin A capsules under the nationwide campaign on the day.

The total number of children, around 25 lakh aged between six to 11 months will be fed one blue colour Vitamin-A capsule each, while around 1.94 crore babies aged between 12 to 59 months would be fed red color capsules.

They will be fed the Vitamin A capsule at some 1, 20,000 permanent and 20 thousand mobile health centres across the country.

Mobile health centres will be set up at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, ferry terminals, bridge toll centres and kheya ghats, and these will remain open from 8am to 4pm to make sure that all children are fed the capsules.

At least two trained volunteers would work at each centres.

The government would run the campaign for the next four days (July 15-19) in hard to reach areas and will feed Vitamin-A capsules through ‘child to child searching’ programme visiting each and every homes in 240 unions under 42 upazilas in 12 districts.

The parents are requested to bring their children with full stomach to be fed the Vitamin-A capsule. Children should not be fed the capsule forcefully or while they are crying. Children aged below six months or more than five years or with any kind of sickness should not be fed the capsule.

The rate of children’s night-blindness in the country has come down below one per cent following the distribution of Vitamin A-plus capsules regularly.

Feeding of Vitamin-A capsule not only keep the children safe from night blindness, it also increases their immune system, keep their eyesight perfect, bring down the child mortality rate and ensure their natural growth, among other benefits.

For the first time, this campaign will be inaugurated outside Dhaka this year, where Health Minister Mohammed Nasim will launch the programme from Pabna 250-bed General Hospital.