The National Vitamin-A Plus campaign is set to be observed across Bangladesh on Saturday in a bid to feed vitamin-A Plus capsule to children aged between six months to 59 months to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim inaugurated the National Vitamin- A Plus campaign at Dhaka Shishu Hospital on Thursday.
Over 20.0 million children aged between six months to 59 months to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality.
Under the campaign, children aged between six months and 11 months will be given capsule with blue color while children aged between 12 and 59 months will be administered with red color capsule on the day, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry sources said.
While inaugurating the National Vitamin- A Plus campaign at Dhaka Shishu Hospital on December 21, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim said health workers and volunteers will feed the vitamin-A Plus capsules from 0.12 million permanent and 20 thousand mobile centres across the country which will remain open from 8 am to 4 pm.
According to health experts, less than one percent children now suffer from blindness problem while the percentage of blindness for vitamin A deficiency was 3.74 in 1974. "With sincere efforts of the government, we have been able to reduce blindness problem," they added.
The impact of vitamin-A deficiency is not limited to only blindness, the experts said adding it increases death risk by causing various diseases, reports BSS.
"We are feeding vitamin A plus capsule 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," health experts added.
Vitamin A is needed for children to prevent blindness problem as well as other diseases related to eye.
Infants should be given breast milk within one hour of their births as it contains a large percentage of protein, mineral and vitamin, which greatly will help improve their immune system, they added.