Vitamin A plus campaign begins on Oct 4

Countrywide Vitamin A plus campaign is set to be observed from October 4 to 17 to feed vitamin ‘A’ plus capsules to over two crore children aged between six to 59 months.

“A total of 1,20,000 centres will be set up across the country to administer vitamin A-plus capsules to the children… health codes will be strictly maintained during the nationwide vitamin A plus campaign,” Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque told a press briefing at his ministry on Thursday, an official release said.

Health Service Division organized the press conference aiming to make the vitamin A plus campaign a success.

Secretary of Health Service Division Abdul Mannan, Secretary of Health Education Division Ali Nur and senior officials of the ministry, among others, were present at the briefing.

Maleque said health workers and volunteers will feed the vitamin-A Plus

capsules from 1.20 lakh centres, which will remain open from 8 am to 4 pm.

He said, “We want to prevent childhood blindness by administering vitamin-A plus capsule. Blindness problem has been reduced significantly in the country through launching vitamin A plus campaign.”

At present, less than one percent children in the country suffer night blindness for vitamin A deficiency while percentage of night blindness was 4.1 during initial stage of the campaign, Maleque added.

Other speakers said the government is launching vitamin A plus campaign two times a year as it deposits up to six months in children’s body. Alongside having vitamin A plus capsule, guardians should feed their children natural foods including vegetable and fish to avoid vitamin A deficiency, they added.

The health ministry sources said two trained volunteers would work at each centre. Among the total children, around 27 lakh babies aged between six to 11 months will be fed one blue colour Vitamin-A capsule each, while around 1.93 crore babies aged between 12 to 59 months would be fed red color capsules.

The parents are requested to bring their children with full stomach to

be fed the Vitamin-A capsule, it added.

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 capsules.

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 alongside other benefits.