Children to get Vitamin A Plus capsules across country June 18

Children across the country will be fed Vitamin A Plus capsules on June 18 as part of the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign 2023.

In Gopalganj, a total of 1,90,313 children of the under-five age group will be fed Vitamin A Plus capsules in five upazilas of the district. The medical officer of the district civil surgeon office Dr SM Sakibur Rahman disclosed this information to the journalists Wednesday afternoon.

The programme will be conducted in 67 unions and four municipalities in five upazilas of the district.

The campaign will be conducted under the auspices of the Public Health and Nutrition Institute and National Nutrition Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Planning with UNICEF assistance.

Civil surgeon of the district Dr Niaz Mohammad said 3,432 health workers and volunteers, 211 health assistants, 182 community health care providers and 246 family welfare assistants, under the supervision of 216 first-class supervisors will provide Vitamin A Plus capsules at 1,716 centres in five upazilas on Sunday next from 8 am to 4 pm.

In Rajshahi, a total of 64,884 babies will be fed vitamin ‘A’ capsules in Rajshahi city during the forthcoming National Vitamin ‘A’ Plus Campaign-2023 scheduled to be held on June 18.

Of those, 8,779 babies aged between six to eleven months will be administered one blue-coloured ‘A’ capsule each, while another 56,105 babies from 12 to 59 months red-coloured capsule.

Rajshahi City Corporation health officials revealed this while addressing a press conference held at the City Bhaban conference hall ahead of the campaign today.

Dr Anjuman Ara said the programme will be conducted in 384 centres in the city. Some 768 health workers will remain posted in the centres for administering the capsules properly. Earlier, they were imparted training for making the campaign successful.

In Khulna, Vitamin ‘A’ capsules will be fed to 3,58,004 children in nine upazilas and two municipalities of the district. Khulna Civil Surgeon Dr Sujat Ahmed gave this information at the district-level notification and action planning meeting at the school health clinic conference room Wednesday afternoon.

All children aged 6-11 months will be given 1 blue-coloured vitamin capsule and children aged 12-59 months will be given 1 red-coloured capsule through the national vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign.

In Panchagarh, 1,60,472 children will be fed vitamin A plus capsules on June 18. Out of this, 18,050 children aged 6-11 months will be fed blue-coloured vitamin A plus capsules and 142,422 children aged 12-59 months will be fed red-coloured vitamin A plus capsules. For this, two thousand 154 volunteers will work full-time in 1,077 centres.

Civil Surgeon Dr Rafiqul Hasan gave this information in a press briefing on the occasion of the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign organised by the Civil Surgeon Office and implemented by the National Nutrition Service Department of Health Directorate of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In Rajbari, a total of 1,36,080 children will be fed vitamin A capsules in 1,066 centres in five upazilas of the district this year. The information was revealed in the orientation workshop of the district-level journalists organised on the occasion of the National Vitamin A Plus campaign at the conference room of the Civil Surgeon’s office in Rajbari on Wednesday afternoon.

Vitamin ‘A’ supplement is essential for the normal functioning of the visual system, maintenance of cell function for growth, red blood cell production, immunity and reproduction.

The supplementation is also important for a substantial reduction of the death rate caused by diarrhoea and measles Besides, various problems including eyesight and night blindness could be prevented and cured as vitamin ‘A’ plus supplement is helpful for reducing the severity and duration of illnesses associated with pneumonia.