Over 20 million children aged between six months and five years will be given Vitamin A-plus capsules under a national campaign to begin on October 5, reports UNB.
“The National Vitamin A-plus Campaign will be observed across the country on Saturday to prevent childhood blindness and reduce child mortality and strengthen immunity,” Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque told a press briefing at his office on Wednesday.
Children aged between six and 11 months will be given the blue-coloured high-powered Vitamin A capsule, while children aged between one to five years will receive the red-coloured capsule.
The minister said more than 2.10 crore children would be fed the vitamin A capsule at some 120,000 permanent centres across the country. “Three volunteers will work at each centre to make the campaign a success,’’ he said, adding that the rate of children’s night-blindness in the country has come down by distributing Vitamin A-plus twice a year.
Besides the permanent health centres, the minister said an additional 20,000 mobile centres will be positioned at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals, airports, ferry terminals, bridge toll centres and kheya ghats, and these will remain open from 8am to 4pm to make sure all children are given the doses.
Ruhal Haque said the guardians should only bring their children to the centres after feeding them normal food. “Children who will come to health centres without taking food will not be fed the capsules,” he said.
In 1982, about 3.70 percent children were affected by night-blindness, which has come down to 0.04 percent due to the national campaign, he said.