Vitamin A-plus campaign begins

The national Vitamin A-plus campaign, which was earlier postponed, began nationwide on Saturday, aiming to feed vitamin A-plus capsules to all children aged between six and 59 months.

Under the campaign, around 2.5 million children aged between six and eleven months will be fed the blue coloured Vitamin A-plus capsules, while around 20 million children aged between 12 and 59 months will be given the red coloured high-power capsules.

They will be given the Vitamin A-plus capsules at some 120,000 permanent and 20,000 mobile health centres across Bangladesh.

Mobile health centres have been set up at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, ferry terminals, and bridge toll centres which will remain open from 8am to 4pm to make sure that all children receive the capsules.

Also Read- Vitamin A-plus campaign on Saturday

The children of the remote areas under 240 unions in 42 upazilas of 12 districts will be fed the capsules in the next four days of the campaign day through conducting a search program.

The rate of children’s night-blindness in the country has come down below 1% following the distribution of Vitamin A-plus capsules.

Vitamin A not only keeps children safe from night-blindness, it also increases their immune system, keeps their eyesight perfect, lowers child mortality rate, and ensures their natural growth, among other benefits.

On January 17, the government postponed the Vitamin A-plus campaign which was to be held on January 19 citing “unavoidable reasons”.