Over 2 crore children, aged between six months and five years, will be fed Vitamin A-plus capsule under a national campaign to be observed on Saturday.
“The National Vitamin A-plus Campaign will be observed across the country on Saturday (April 5) to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality and strengthen immunity,” Health Minister Mohammad Nasim told a press briefing at his office on Wednesday.
Children, aged between six and 11 months, will be given blue-coloured high-powered Vitamin A capsule while children, aged between one to five years, red-coloured capsule, he said.Besides, a nutrition message will be circulated for providing homemade balanced food to six months old children in addition to breast milk.
Over 2.20 crore children will be fed vitamin A capsule at some 120,000 permanent centres across the country. “Three volunteers will work at each center to make the campaign a success,’’ he said.
Besides, the programme will also be launched at additional 20,000 mobile centres – bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, ferry terminals, bridge toll centres and kheya ghats, said the minister.
The volunteers will go to every doorsteps in the next four days of the campaign to make sure all children are given the doses.
He also suggested the guardians to bring the children to the health centres after feeding them normal food. “Children who will come to health centres without taking food will not be fed the capsules.”
He said the rate of children’s night-blindness in the country has come down below 1 percent by feeding Vitamin A+ capsules through the programme.
“We can prevent 24 percent child mortality through successful implementation of the campaign”, he said. – UNB
