Vitamin A campaign May 29
National Vitamin A Plus Campaign on May 29 will cover two lakh children aged between six and 11 months, for the first time, to help them prevent Nyctalopia (night blindness).
Children of this age group of Comilla, Moulvibazar, Gopalganj, Barisal, Shatkhira, Rajshahi and Barisal City Corporation will be provided with a blue vitamin A capsule, said Health Adviser Syed Modasser Ali yesterday.
Another 1.90 crore children, aged one to five years, would be provided with red vitamin A capsule. Deworming tablets would also be administered to 1.70 crore children aged between two and five years through 1.4 lakh permanent and mobile centres, he said.
He was speaking at a press conference in the city's Jatiya Press Club.
Modasser said it is possible to reduce contagious diseases and prevalence of diarrhoea by improving the level of vitamin A among children.
Messages encouraging mothers to exclusively breastfeed their children for the first six months would also be disseminated at the campaign, he added.
Speaking at the conference, Prof Fatima Parveen Chowdhury, director of Institute of Public Health Nutrition, said vitamin A supplementation twice a year proved cost effective in countries where infant mortality is high.
She also said the campaign saves the lives of 30,000 children and reduces prevalence of different diseases.
Despite immense success, four percent children are left out of coverage, which should not be, said the speakers.
State Minister Dr Captain (retd) Mozibur Rahman Fakir also spoke.
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