Night blindness below 1pc in country

Health and Family Planning Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday said night blindness rate is below 1 percent in the country due to regular administering of Vitamin A capsules.

“We want to prevent childhood blindness by administering Vitamin A-plus capsules. Blindness has been reduced significantly. Now the rate of night blindness is below 1 percent,” he said.

He was this while inaugurating Vitamin A campaign at Dhaka Shishu Hospital, said a press release.

The rate of night blindness was 3.76 percent in 1974 when this campaign was launched, said the minister. He said a child who ingests the capsule will be safe from night blindness, their immune system would be boosted, eyesight would be perfect and natural growth would be ensured.

Vitamin-A plus campaign has been observed across the country, with an aim to feed children, aged between six months and five years, the capsules.

Health workers and volunteers fed the capsules to around 2.1 crore children at 1.20 lakh permanent and 20,000 makeshift centres from 8am to 4pm.

Some 25 lakh children, aged between six and 12 months, were fed blue capsules while around 1.95 crore children, aged between one and five years, were given red capsules.