Govt sets February 9 afresh for Vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign

The Health and Family Welfare Ministry today set February 9 afresh to observe the national vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign.

On that day, 2.20 crore children aged between six to 59 months will be fed vitamin ‘A’ plus capsules across the country from 8am to 4pm.

Institute of Public Health Nutrition under the Health and Family Welfare Ministry has been conducting the annual campaign to feed vitamin ‘A’ capsules to children at national level since 1974, according to BSS.

Earlier, the Institute of Public Health Nutrition postponed this year’s campaign that was scheduled to be held on January 19 due to unavoidable circumstances.

Under the campaign, children aged between six and 11 months will be given blue colored vitamin ‘A’ capsule while children aged between 12 and 59 months will be given red colored high-power capsules on that day, health and family welfare ministry sources said.

The coverage of feeding Vitamin ‘A’ plus capsules, which is crucial to prevent childhood blindness and reduces child mortality, has increased significantly standing at 99 percent in 2017 because of the campaign.

In accordance with latest survey, at present, the rate of nyctalopia, a disease caused by deficiency of vitamin A, is 0.04 percent in the country as it attained the target of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing the rate of nyctalopia below one percent to prevent blindness caused by deficiency of nutrition.

Besides, vitamin A increases immunity of children and reduces the risk of child mortality.